Some taxpayers may have received letters from the Mississippi State Tax Commission stating they owe taxes, but that could be an error.

Gayle Fail, owner of Office Partners, said she received numerous phone calls from people who have received letters from the tax commission stating they owe taxes. When she called the commission to ask about the letters, she said she was told there could be an error.

“People should not pay this unless they have spoken to either their tax preparer or the state tax commission,” Fail said.

Fail said she has noticed that most of the letters were sent to people who work out of state or claimed a loss carry over from Hurricane Katrina.

Kathy Waterberry, director of communications for the Mississippi State Tax Commission, said the commission usually sends out letters for taxes owed about this time of year. Taxpayers may have received the letters because the taxpayer’s out-of-state tax return was not filed with the State of Mississippi. Those out-of-state tax returns show that those taxes were paid, and if they were not sent in with the initial tax return filing then it would appear that taxes are still owed with the State of Mississippi. Sending in those out-of-state tax returns will usually result in no balance being due, she said.

“It’s a lack of information really,” Waterberry said.

If the problem was due to the loss carried over from Hurricane Katrina, then those details also need to be provided to the State Tax Commission for their review, Waterberry said.

If an error is suspected Waterberry suggests the taxpayer call the tax preparer or the state tax commission for further information. The number to call is provided on the letter.