Feb 04 2009
Tax Issues For Presidential Nominees
Taxes are not something that you don’t know you have to pay. Every person who works knows they have to pay taxes, and file a tax return. This isn’t rocket science. Computer programs do it for you. People with a lot of money can also hire someone to do it for them.
So why are there so many presidential nominees with tax problems?
The Treasury Secretary had tax problems uncovered in his nomination vetting. He was confirmed anyways, and now he runs the IRS - which collects the taxes he never paid.
Former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, Obama’s nominee to oversea the Health and Human Services Department, is still being considered by the Senate, despite problems with back taxes and potential conflicts of interest. His confirmation process is ongoing. Hopefully the won’t confirm this one.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, Obama’s initial selection for commerce secretary, withdrew his name amid a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors. Not a tax problem, but money problems nonetheless.
And now there is Nancy Killefer. She was going to be the federal government’s first performance evaluator. She came with impressive credentials. However, she also came with tax problems related to $900.00+ for a nanny.
Why are so many people in so much trouble with their taxes? It isn’t a hard process. You earn money, or pay someone money, and you pay taxes.
Is this the first sign of trouble in Presdient Obama’s administration? Maybe. Let’s see how the other nominations fair.
