Western NC tax business closes, leaving many frustrated

ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — Questions surround an accounting and tax business which has closed in western North Carolina.

The Alexander County Sheriff’s Office issued a public service announcement after getting dozens of calls from concerned customers about Price, Breazeale, and Chastang, PA.

The sheriff told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty more than 300 people have been impacted by the closure.

Some of those customers showed up Thursday morning trying to get their tax documents back. However, the doors were locked and there was a sign on the door telling them to call the N.C. State Board of Certified Public Accountant Examiners.

Deputies said they’ve already tried to contact the CPA board.

We spoke with several customers who said they dropped their tax documents off weeks ago but nothing has been filed federally or with the state.

Many of them told Channel 9 they just want their paperwork back so they can go somewhere else.

“I’m very wary because we have to find somebody else. We have to get our tax papers back, so we can take them somewhere else,” said Betty Stanbery, a customer. “It’s going to be tax time and we have no tax returns.”

Faherty tried to call the phone number on the door of the business but the message box was full.

The state CPA board told Faherty there appears to be a landlord-tenant dispute, which will hopefully get resolved soon. People should be able to get their documents by early next week.

Ed Smith said his federal return has been filed but he’s unsure about his state return.

“Everybody uses it,” Smith said. “It was word of mouth and things like that. Everybody goes here. When I came here a couple of times, there were cars here asking, ‘What’s going on?’”

Ed Smith said his federal return has been filed but he’s unsure about his state return.

“Everybody uses it,” Smith said. “It was word of mouth and things like that. Everybody goes here. When I came here a couple of times, there were cars here asking, ‘What’s going on?’”

Garen Baroorian hopes that happens.

Baroorian said he is undergoing chemo treatments for Stage 4 cancer and doesn’t need the hassle.

“I just want to get the money from last year,” he said. “It would help with some of the bills. I spent over $30,000 on hospital medication.”

It’s not clear what the landlord-tenant issue is about.

Faherty left a voicemail for who he believed was the landlord but has not gotten a call back.

There is no evidence of an eviction, according to court records.

The sheriff’s office encourages people to contact the state for more information.

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