Good news: Another Obama appointee owes back taxes
posted at 5:32 pm on March 2, 2009 by Allahpundit
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First came righteous outrage over Geithner, then sweet schadenfreude over Killefer and Daschle, then wearisome exasperation with Hilda Solis, and now … this. Much like The One’s spending, the sheer volume of this nonsense has left me numb to it.
Despite the error, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a statement calling Kirk “the right person for this job,” and said he would attempt to have the nomination moved through the panel quickly.
Kirk routinely gave any speaking fees he earned to Austin College, the committee said, and did not list them on his tax returns.
Instead, the committee said he should have listed the fees as income, then claimed them as charitable donations. The estimated effect was to reduce Kirk’s tax bill by an estimated $5,800, according to the report.
Kirk also deducted more than $17,000 as entertainment expenses for the cost of Mavericks’ tickets. The committee said he substantiated about $9,900 of that amount, and will owe about $2,600 in taxes on the balance.
Geithner and Solis squeaked through, Killefer and Daschle disintegrated. Place your bets on whether Kirk drops out or not; I’m guessing that the Burris effect will ensure he’s confirmed. Exit question: How about a unified party effort to leverage these scandals into a push to simplify the tax code? It’d give the GOP a solid policy cause that the public would support, and The One is politically vulnerable enough on the point that he’d think twice before resisting.
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Damn, Obama should be working for the IRS. His appointments have now added…exactly how much to US coffers since he took office?
disa on March 2, 2009 at 8:05 PM
Kirk was a craptastic Mayor of Dallas too. Thought he could move up to Senator and ran against Cornyn.
Epic FAIL!
44Magnum on March 2, 2009 at 8:08 PM
At least he’s not the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee … oh wait…
Fuquay Steve on March 2, 2009 at 8:10 PM
Is there such a thing as an honest democrat?
Kjeil on March 2, 2009 at 8:18 PM
This is epic. I can’t believe the response I keep getting form libtards I know. Basically it all boils down to nuance. Meh, whatever. This country is so EFF’d it’s not even funny anymore.
Somebody up above was going on about Geitner and how bad his tax fraud was. You only listed half of it. The IMF PAID him for the tax balance due on his salary, so he got to keep all of the salary they paid him. What did he do? HE POCKETED THE PAYOFF! How did they know how much his tax liability was going to be? They paid him as a contractor and supplied him with a 1099 and the check for his taxes. CYA for the IMF but EFF the tax man. So the only guy who’s good enough for the job blames TurboTax for his failure? Are you kidding me? Ugh. This makes me tired. Where’s the kool aid? I need a drink.
Oh, and repeat. SNAFU
ammon_of_cs on March 2, 2009 at 8:31 PM
I’m starting to believe this is a cursed seat. But the numbers of Dems being brought out as tax cheats is hilarious.
FontanaConservative on March 2, 2009 at 9:06 PM
I guess like Burris, the color of his skin is the only necessary qualification for high office. Or maybe this is a dastardly Obama plot, that the only way he can get rich democraps to pay their fair share of taxes is to nominate them for federal offices.
eaglewingz08 on March 2, 2009 at 9:18 PM
peter_griffin
“At the very least, he can claim charitable deduction for that money, correct?”
Today? No, Yes, Maybe.
But considering “charitable deduction” is another one of the things Obama wants to kill it don’t look good.
Obama’s Plan to Reduce Charitable Deductions for the Wealthy Draws Criticism
February 26, 2009
New updates:
· Several billion dollars could be lost in charitable gifts because of the tax proposal, say philanthropy scholars.
· The White House says that the plan won’t hurt charities, in part because it doesn’t take effect until 2011, when Obama officials expect the economic recovery to have begun.
DSchoen on March 2, 2009 at 9:23 PM
Tax Cheats We Can Believe In.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on March 2, 2009 at 9:25 PM
rockmom
“The jokes just write themselves, don’t they?
Maybe Obama can balance the budget after all…just name every prominent Democrat to his Cabinet and make them pay their back taxes!”
Naw, he’s just looking for folks that are good at “cooking the books”
DSchoen on March 2, 2009 at 9:43 PM
Now I see Obomba’s plan to cut taxes for 95% of the American people!
Appointing all these tax cheats to his administration and getting them to pay taxes he can use that money for tax cuts. Hell, there may be enough left over to give the rich a little break. Stay tuned.
Herb on March 2, 2009 at 9:53 PM
A wealthy Democrat with unpaid taxes is scandalous, the equivalent of a Republican with a sex scandal. Republicans engulfed in sex scandals are portrayed (for the most part correctly) as hypocrites. Democrats urge higher taxes, loathe tax cuts, rail against the rich, etc. Yet rich, liberal Dems have a habit of avoiding taxes. They are unfit to serve and deserve the same ridicule as Republicans who try to legistlate morailty but are incapable of fidelity.
grgeil on March 2, 2009 at 10:16 PM
hawkdriver
“How many SNL skit ideas would have produced too? One with a running gag about not playing taxes.
Inept!”
Hum, not so much on taxes.
The BIGGER problem these folks have is numbers in general.
How many states are there? 57? 60?
Loosing 500 million jobs every month!
A bankruptcy every 30 sec due to health care!
Al Gore getting 23 CM confused with 23FT in “possible” sea level rise.
DSchoen on March 2, 2009 at 10:25 PM
I’m sure this jackass is not the least bit competent just by looking at him, which means he’ll fit right in with the rest of the Obama-Mugabe team.
NoDonkey on March 2, 2009 at 10:28 PM
Fair Tax would make it pretty hard to pull this stuff…
.
I’m just sayin’.
CLaFarge on March 2, 2009 at 11:01 PM
A fair tax would also preclude Obama’s Stalinistic class warfare.
We couldn’t have THAT now could we???
Mojave Mark on March 2, 2009 at 11:49 PM
I see a lot of talk about it’s only democrats, or people that Obama appoints, that are Tax Cheats. I’m quite sure there are plenty of republicans that are also tax cheats…… Make that tax evaders as that is how republicans are described. Let’s also list, and take republicans to task for tax cheating to be completely fair.
Hick on March 3, 2009 at 12:06 AM
Since you are so sure, then you must have names, no? Oh, wait…you aren’t sure are you…you are just making a blind assertion with no evidence whatsoever, but you are ‘quite sure there are plenty of republicans’. You are the perfect stereotype of your ideology…thank you sir!
AUINSC on March 3, 2009 at 12:16 AM
Excuse me.
Fraud I would call this. He was hired not the college. He received the money as income. He was required to report it as such. If he then wanted to donate to the college fine. But it is not the same thing thus the $5,800 he defrauded the government out of in taxes. How I wish I could donate to charity with pre-tax income. Then I wouldn’t have to pay payroll tax on it. What a scam.
Steveangell on March 3, 2009 at 12:56 AM
How is it that the IRS can find me amongst millions of people just like me, but can’t find these people right down the hall, so to speak?
insideout on March 3, 2009 at 5:06 AM
Is there such a thing as an honest democrat?
Kjeil on March 2, 2009
That’s a rhetorical question, right?
SKYFOX on March 3, 2009 at 5:25 AM
Actually, I’m starting to think the more common thread is nominees in doofus glasses, what with Tom Daschle raiding Sally Jesse Raphael’s eyewear collection and this guy borrowing his kids’ Harry Potter costume specs. What’s up with that?
Captain Scarlet on March 3, 2009 at 6:03 AM
Ron Kirk, from a wealthy family, has always been given every opportunity for success on a silver platter since growing up a bully and a bigot in his hometown of Austin before leaving for the bigger pastures of Dallas.
Regardless of the state, democrats FEEL that rules simply do not apply to themselves.* Given the IRS paper trail of income & taxes, that leaves the easiest available proof to SEE democrat corruption through their habitual failure to conform to the law.
*Democrats lack respect for rule of law from their basic disregard for the Constitution. The irony must never be overlooked, that the Democrats only hold on “the little man” is through slavery; and democrats’ success depends upon a monopoly on the mind to deny the individual’s existence outside of subservient conformity within their herd mentality. In the Klansmen know best
democratSocialist party, laws never apply to their leaders, and the leaders have every right to apply any whim of a law they want on everyone else.maverick muse on March 3, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Again, more evidence that this administration does not care for you, me, or our country. They have ignored the rules on how to present/enact a bill/law. They ignore the ethics of those they hire or bring on to move their agenda forward. They have no concept of economics (or they are ignoring them on purpose).
All they do is find people who want to be part of a circus that may get into center stage by supporting failed programs/policies that prop the stage up.
MSGTAS on March 3, 2009 at 9:29 AM
People keep saying this is the 4th one – even AP only mentions 4.
I count 6 people Obama has tried to appoint that don’t know how to pay their taxes.
Tom Daschle
Tim Geithner
Bill Richardson
Nancy Killefer
Hilda Solis
Ron Kirk
Isn’t that 6? Or were 2 folks excused? Or do people only like talking about 4? Is 4 a prettier number?
jusgottabeme on March 3, 2009 at 9:48 AM
I want the Democrat Congressional, Administration, Policy Maker tax exempt status with the Get Out of Jail Free Card too! Dang it! It’s discrimination, I tell you, that they are the only ones.
Political Raaaaaacisssstsss!
Sultry Beauty on March 3, 2009 at 5:12 PM
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