Wednesday, February 18, 2009

It's Just So Hard To Know

Ex-Senator Tom Daschle took a lot of grief, quite correctly, for failing to pay taxes on the gift of a car and driver. One of the "reasons" given was that the tax code makes it hard to determine what is taxable and what is exempt.

Now we find another politician caught up in the vagaries of the tax code and owing back taxes. From the Anchorage Daily News:
Palin must pay tax on past per diem, state says

The story goes on to say that Palin is not alone in owing back taxes on per diems but it just goes to show ya'. Doesn't it?

I don't expect any outrage now but this is just one more data point to file away for 2011 and beyond. I know how important the letter of the law is to some folks and I'll be looking for their hard questions then.

5 comments:

Other Side said...

Ha.

Other Side said...

Ha.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, this isn't the same as Obama's boys. They KNEW they weren't paying their taxes. Palin wasn't sure and asked for a review:

"Alaska administration commissioner Annette Kreitzner told the Anchorage Daily News on Tuesday that the governor’s office had asked the office to review the tax treatment of the per diem payments after questions about the funds were raised."

Get that, the governor's office...that's her...ASKED for a review. That is the responsible thing to do.

The per diem payments were just now considered taxable (in the past they werent) by the administration commisioner's review...Palin's offices asked for the review to see if the paymets should be taxable.

It is one thing to have questions and be informed that you owe, it's another thing to know, to be told you owe taxes and to ignore those notices for years as the democrats have.

Apple and oranges

Anonymous said...

Considering that this law screwed a lot of people in Alaska, I really don't think it is a big deal. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of politicians, GOP or Dems didn't know this.
But I am sure, this will be distorted by your side and used in 2011.

Other Side said...

...after questions about the funds were raised. Uh huh.

Oh and -- Thanks again Dan for making me feel smarter today.