Our Voice
This time the spotlight fell on Tom Daschle. The former senator was nominated to be the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, but withdrew his name this week over a tax record controversy.
Daschle is the second Obama nominee to face problem from taxes. Timothy Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary, was confronted with tax problems, but was still confirmed.
In 1789 Benjamin Franklin wrote, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Franklin should have added the exceptions for government officials.
Apparently, you don’t have to pay your taxes to work for the government. How much can you not pay? $34,000 worth of self-employment taxes, at least that was the case for Geithner.
How could our Treasury Secretary nominee not pay over $30,000 in taxes? More importantly, how could he still be confirmed?!
With April coming up, we all, who are lucky enough to be employed, are going to have to do our taxes. If average citizens don’t pay their taxes, the government hunts them down and forces them to pay.
However, Geithner did not have to pay his taxes until he was up for a new job. If we all only had to pay our taxes before we apply for a new job, life would be a lot less hectic come April.
On top of Geithner’s thousands of dollars unpaid, Daschle now admits to failing to file $15,000 in donations to charities as well as unreported car service and more than $80,000 in unreported income.
Daschle also recently chose to pay $140,000 in back taxes for his 2005-2007 filings. No wonder the government is so immensely in debt. There are government officials getting away with not paying over $100,000 in taxes!
The Obama administration promised change in Washington, but so far they have only given us scandals as usual. While Obama admits to making mistakes in appointments, these appointees show the need for a close look into the taxes of government officials, especially those who are nominated for a cabinet position.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Feb 6 2009. Filed under Our Voice.
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