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$8M Revenue Shortfall Blamed on Bad DB Entry

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the data-integrity dept.

SierraPete writes "Yahoo! News reports that an improper database entry, most likely caused by an external user, has created an $8 Million USD revenue shortfall for a northwestern Indiana county because a house that was supposed to be valued at $121,000 showed a value in the database at $800,000,000. There's no specific suggestion that this erroneous entry was done maliciously, but it is leading to big problems in the local governments as they try to figure out how to drop that much money out of their respective budgets. As an aside, how would you like to be in the homeowner's shoes when he opens up his mail box and finds an $8M property tax bill? I'm sure there was a trip to the emergency room or the dry cleaners involved."

11 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Well, with today's taxes by ral8158 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, that's not a huge error, now is it?

  2. Read the Article.... by shoemakc · · Score: 4, Funny

    Read the article: It says the shortfall occured because the home was incorectly valued; The taxes on an 8 million dollar home are not 8 million dollars...but a fraction of that.

    So here on Long Island for example, taxes would only be about 7 million...

    -Chris

    --
    --an unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys--
  3. Re:400 not 800 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Um, you've been reading Slashdot for what, 9 years? And you've only just noticed that story summaries suck the giant horned choad of Satan?

  4. Get rich quick scheme by technoextreme · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sell the house at $400 million dollars. Pay the taxes and then run away never to be seen again.

    --
    Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
  5. Re:400 not 800 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Did anyone actually bother to rtfa, or is it just cool to make up numbers for post summaries now?

    "A house erroneously valued at $400 million"
    "The house had been valued at $121,900 before the glitch."


    Oh! That settles it then. Nothing to see here.

  6. Re:If it were my house... by MrWa · · Score: 3, Funny

    Have you interacted with real people in the US anytime in the last 6 years? Very few people seem to be mildly associated with reality...

  7. To err is human... by linebackn · · Score: 2, Funny

    To err is human, but to really foul things up takes a computer.

    And to make a total disastrous mess takes a computer _operated_ by a human.

  8. Damn 2% tax rate. by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wish my tax rate were that low. I'm paying more like 3%.

  9. Re:The homeowner by FidelCatsro · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah nobody would believe that one , unless Comcast had reduced their prices recently

    --
    The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  10. Re:Crappy Software + Dumb People = Bad Stuff by El_Muerte_TDS · · Score: 2, Funny

    Great Software + Dumb People = Bad Stuff

    So it's doesn't really matter in case of dumb people.

    Although... we now have a problem.

    Great Software + Dumb People = Bad Stuff = Crappy Software + Dumb People
    Great Software = Crappy Software

  11. Re:If it were my house... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Have you interacted with real people in the US anytime in the last 6 years?"

    You obviously haven't, but being /. readers ourselves, we understand.