Technology is improving and getting better day by day.   A large part of the improvements has to do with the expanding possibilities of online solutions developed to help ease the stress of paying expenses.

Delaware County has a solution known as EZ Pay, which can be found at:  http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/ezpay/index.html  to set up an online account to allow the payment of property taxes.  The website provided by Delaware County is straightforward and user friendly, which makes it easy for people to log onto their accounts, or to set up new accounts to pay for their property taxes online.  

The internet has helped to make it easy for a number of businesses to establish a safe and secure way to pay for expenses and products completely online as opposed to paying through the mail, or over the phone.  For paying taxes online one would simply log onto the Delaware County website (www.co.delaware.pa.us.com) and look on the left hand side of the page.  It has a link which reads “EZ Pay Your Taxes.”  After clicking the link, it brings you to a page that explains the new feature of online tax payments.  There is a one-time enrollment for new customers who just have to enter the basics and the information for the property they are paying for.  After the enrollment form, it allows that person unlimited access to their account such as, viewing current bills, payments, news pertaining to their account, making service requests or inquiries and modifying personal account information.

Of the 200,000 billable properties in Delaware County, 35 % of county taxes are paid via mortgage companies or banks, leaving the other 65% via direct mail-in by property owners.  Currently, there are less than 1% of taxes paid using the EZ pay online.  A list of current taxes and a list of previous property taxes are accessible on the Delaware County website http://www.co.delaware.pa.us/treasurer/ TaxRate2009.pdf. 

On another note, many businesses, especially in today’s struggling economy, are looking to save as much money as possible.  It is not too easy to cut costs without cutting production, and quality of service, but many small things can help.  One of the largest “small” items where savings are possible is stamps.  The price of stamps seems to be rising monthly.  Submitting a bill online allows the payment to be sent without using the costly stamps.  In addition, businesses are able to save on paper, because there is no need for a bill to be mailed.  Paying online is a much faster and a more efficient way to run a business.  There is no need to wait weeks to see a payment in an account, because through the internet, the payment is instant.  It has the same effect of sending mail overnight, without the unnecessary expense of the overnight fees.  Online payments are also helpful for the “Going Green” plan which is starting to come into effect nationwide. It eliminates the hassle of writing out checks, eliminates the possibility of a payment being lost, and also eliminates late fees caused by the mail.  The only con to paying online is there is a potential risk for hackers to get your information.  The Delaware County ensures the safety and security of all of its transactions, which seems to negate the only downfall.