Another Obama Tax Cheat......030209

[JustRalph]

We better start dating these threads. No wonder these Damn Dems raise taxes every chance they get..............They Don't Friggin Pay Taxes!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090302/ap_on_go_pr_wh/kirk_taxes_7

Trade nominee Ron Kirk agrees to pay back taxes
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
Mon Mar 2, 4:31 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Ron Kirk, nominated as U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama administration, owes an estimated $10,000 in back taxes from earlier in the decade and has agreed to make his payments, the Senate Finance Committee said Monday.
The committee said the taxes arise from Kirk's handling of speaking fees that he donated to his alma mater, and for his deduction of the full cost of season tickets to the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team.
The disclosure made the former Dallas mayor the latest in a string of top-level Obama administration appointees found to have underpaid their taxes, following Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle, who withdrew as candidate for Health and Human Services secretary. Nancy Killefer, Obama's pick for chief performance officer, also bowed out amid tax problems.
White House spokesman Ben LaBolt said Kirk was working to clear up "a few minor issues" uncovered by the committee and expressed confidence he would be confirmed.
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.

nstead, 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.

more at the link

[NJ Stinks]

The speaking fees donated to his college sound like a gray area. If he had deducted the speaking fees as a charitable contribution (he did not according to the article) and did not report the speaking fees as income (he did not according to the article), then I could agree it's bad. But he didn't so it's not.

As a matter of fact, it's just nice to see that he donated his speaking fees to his alma mater. Thanks, JustRalph! I'm starting to like this guy. :p

[Lefty]

the Obama admin is already shaping up as the most unethical in history. And here I thought they would never outdo the Clinton admin.

[Pace Cap'n]

The speaking fees donated to his college sound like a gray area. If he had deducted the speaking fees as a charitable contribution (he did not according to the article) and did not report the speaking fees as income (he did not according to the article), then I could agree it's bad. But he didn't so it's not.

As a matter of fact, it's just nice to see that he donated his speaking fees to his alma mater. Thanks, JustRalph! I'm starting to like this guy. :p

Are you for real? You just stated it's alright to make one misrepresentation on your tax return, but not two. When was the tax code ammended to allow the under-reporting of income? It doesn't matter what you do with the money, it is still income, and they don't call it income tax for nothing.

[cj's dad]

Has Obamoron actually nominated anyone who wasn't carrying baggage of some sort ?

[rastajenk]

Gates and Gregg. :D

[jballscalls]

the Obama admin is already shaping up as the most unethical in history. And here I thought they would never outdo the Clinton admin.

Is there a reason you skipped over the Bush admin. when it came to unethical people in the cabinet?? I was curious and read some stuff that showed people in his cabinet were unethical in many of their decisions as well. Linda Chavez giving money and housing illegals. Nominating Kerik for homeland security after he had been employing a non legal housekeeper and nanny. Wolfowitz "resigning" from the world bank and giving his girlfriend a raise that was outside the pay grade for her job, Alberto Gonzales indictments, Dick Cheney, the list goes on.

every political cabinet is going to be filled with suspect people. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. what is worse, not paying a portion of your taxes or doing loads of cocaine when your younger?? It's all just perception.

As PA would say, lets get away from Party loyalty and admit when everyone does things wrong, not just when the other side does, cause we ALL know that both sides screw up alot!!

[NJ Stinks]

Are you for real? You just stated it's alright to make one misrepresentation on your tax return, but not two. When was the tax code ammended to allow the under-reporting of income? It doesn't matter what you do with the money, it is still income, and they don't call it income tax for nothing.

Scenario 1 - Some guy is paid $20,000 for making speeches. He decides to give all the money to his college alma mater instead of using the cash for his own benefit. (That's the scenario with Ron Kirk.)

Scenario 2 - Some guy gets paid $20,000 for making speeches. He idecides to give all the money to his college alma mater. Same guy then decides to use the $20,000 to increase his charitable deduction on his Form 1040 Schedule A -Itemized Deductions. (That's not the case with the man we are talking about.)

So now back in real life Ron Kirk is told he must pick up the $20,000 (plugged figure) as income but he can also deduct the $20,000 as a charitable deduction on Form 1040 Schedule A. On the surface it appears that it's a wash - his income increases by $20,000 but his deductions increase by the same amount. The only reason Kirk owes anything at all is because cash contributions are limited to 30% of adjusted gross income. Which essentially means if Kirk had made enough money giving speeches, etc. that year, he would not have owed even one thin dime in additional federal income tax because of his error.

All of the above is "for real". The importance of this error in determining whether or not Kirk deserves to become a U.S. Trade representative is obvious to me. If Kirk was anybody else and the IRS treated Kirk like a tax cheat and prosecuted him for it, conservatives everywhere would say the IRS is out of control. And I would agree.

[DJofSD]

We don't need no stinkin' stimulous package. All we need to do is keep on nominating democrats to fill seats in the new administration and there will be plenty of money comin' in to the US Treasury.

[Pace Cap'n]

Scenario 1 - Some guy is paid $20,000 for making speeches. He decides to give all the money to his college alma mater instead of using the cash for his own benefit. (That's the scenario with Ron Kirk.)

Scenario 2 - Some guy gets paid $20,000 for making speeches. He idecides to give all the money to his college alma mater. Same guy then decides to use the $20,000 to increase his charitable deduction on his Form 1040 Schedule A -Itemized Deductions. (That's not the case with the man we are talking about.)

So now back in real life Ron Kirk is told he must pick up the $20,000 (plugged figure) as income but he can also deduct the $20,000 as a charitable deduction on Form 1040 Schedule A. On the surface it appears that it's a wash - his income increases by $20,000 but his deductions increase by the same amount. The only reason Kirk owes anything at all is because cash contributions are limited to 30% of adjusted gross income. Which essentially means if Kirk had made enough money giving speeches, etc. that year, he would not have owed even one thin dime in additional federal income tax because of his error.

All of the above is "for real". The importance of this error in determining whether or not Kirk deserves to become a U.S. Trade representative is obvious to me. If Kirk was anybody else and the IRS treated Kirk like a tax cheat and prosecuted him for it, conservatives everywhere would say the IRS is out of control. And I would agree.

You can try and rationalize this any way you want to, but the fact is this guy had income that he chose not to report on his tax return. That is illegal.

[NJ Stinks]

You can try and rationalize this any way you want to, but the fact is this guy had income that he chose not to report on his tax return. That is illegal.

OK, Pace Cap'N. I said what I believe and you don't agree. Fair enough.

[boxcar]

You can try and rationalize this any way you want to, but the fact is this guy had income that he chose not to report on his tax return. That is illegal.

No...you're telling us a half-truth. It's only illegal when a Republican does it. Then and only then can we identify such a person with the "culture of corruption". Nothing at all hypocritical about NJ's stance because he's been hardwired to think this way. He just can't help himself. He's not responsible for his condition.

Regards,
Boxcar

[PaceAdvantage]

Is there a reason you skipped over the Bush admin. when it came to unethical people in the cabinet??Oh, it's already been well documented here by the left that dominated off-topic when Bush was president. They never missed a thing...no reason to repeat ourselves when we have such lush new material to work with, right jbc?

[PaceAdvantage]

the Obama admin is already shaping up as the most unethical in history. And here I thought they would never outdo the Clinton admin.I find it odd that all those on the left who had such PROBLEMS with McCain's "vetting process" regarding Palin as VP pick, have been so strangely silent on these matters. This despite the plethora of opportunities available to justly heave well deserved criticism upon Obama's team for what appears to be even worse lapses.

[ddog]

is this actually true - what's your take on the nbrs - how is it playing there ???


FIGHTING BACK: Thousands Rally At City Hall
Taxpayers Tired Of Recession & Furious With Budget Cuts Take Frustration To Streets Of Manhattan
Organizers Say 50,000 On Hand For 'Rally For New York'
Reporting
Hazel Sanchez
NEW YORK (CBS) ―

A massive protest was held outside City Hall in Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, where it seems people have just about had it with the recession.

Anxiety has turned into frustration, and that frustration has boiled over at City Hall where tens of thousands of people took to the streets to vent to city and state officials.

Organizers estimate that 50,000 people have lined Broadway with a message to Gov. David Paterson that cuts are not the answer to fixing New York's budget problems.

The protesters are made up of a widespread coalition of labor unions, community groups, and even families uniting to have their voices heard. Dubbing it a "Rally for New York," they are rallying against proposed state and city budget cuts to public services, education, health care, along with other programs that impact families and the economy in New York.

"I have not lost the feeling for good education. You can't cut the budget the way it is and still have the quality we're aiming for there's no question about that. So we're fighting for the children first, and then the teachers and the workers after that, and for the city of course," said George Altomare, a retired teacher who was protesting told CBS 2.

CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez says the group is calling for fair share tax reform, and increasing the income tax of new Yorkers earning $250,000 or more, generating $6 billion and they hope to prevent the cuts.

It's a loud and spirited crowd and they are hoping Paterson hears their cries for help.

"What Paterson has in mind to do is wrong," says protester Ruth Cardona. "We have people that are working for years at these hospitals and nursing homes and they need to stay working. The cutback is putting people out of jobs, no health care, and then also the education part of it is wrong and he needs to revise what he is doing and do what's supposed to be right for the people."

Community leaders and activists are scheduled to continue to speak through the night and the protesters tell CBS 2 they plan on rallying until all of their demands are heard.



http://wcbstv.com/breakingnewsalerts/recession.budget.protest.2.951551.html

[Lefty]

well, I have lost feeling good about education. We spend more and get less than any other country. Since the advent of teachers unions education is more about liberalism than well, education.
All i can say is, if you live in NY and they want to raise your State income taxes cause you dare to be successful, come to NV.

[PaceAdvantage]

ddog...NY is a big place...I live and work in the suburbs.Plus it looks like I am going to miss the local news as I am about to go out the door to run a late errand...