Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Senate to Move Forward on Lael Brainard's Nomination Despite Tax Problems
I previously blogged the tax problems of Lael Brainard, President Obama's nominee to be Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. The tax problems are (1) twelve late payments of real estate and personal property taxes, and late payment of unemployment taxes; (2) failure to timely file employment eligibility verification forms for her household help; and (3) failure to substantiate home office deductions. Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus today annnounced that he would support the nomination and that the committee would soon vote on the nomination:
- Statement of Chairman Baucus
- Press release
- Staff Memo (5 pages)
- Documents (15 pages)
- ABC News, Treasury Nominee Overcomes Tax Issues, Wins Lawmaker's Support
- Associated Press, Another Obama Nominee Runs Into Tax Problems
- New York Times, A Taxing Time for Treasury Nominee
- Reuters, Treasury Nominee Passes Senate Tax Grilling
- Wall Street Journal, Treasury Nominee Under Tax Scrutiny To Get Hearing
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2009/11/senate-.html
Comments
Please do not discuss this, as we are engaged in a secret government program to reduce the deficit. We identify someone who appears to be a major tax cheat, the Obama Administration nominates them to a high appointive post, and they have to pay up. So far it's yielded $2.3 billion. Please do not blow our cover.
Posted by: Internal Revenue Service | Nov 18, 2009 8:27:30 PM
Well, Obama hasn't even paid his taxes to his home nation of Kenya!
Posted by: Woody | Nov 18, 2009 3:57:21 PM
Yikes. Read the links the Prof posted. It took them ten go-rounds to get an honest (?) set of figures out of this curious person, who probably still has her first dime. AND the Senate staff noted that on at least one of the I-9s for her many servants, the "employee" signature doesn't match the ee, but matched "the nominee." That's the kind of integrity Tax Cheat Tim needs on his team!
Of course, if there's one subject the Senate knows inside out, it's corruption. So of course Brainard the Blackguard gets a bye.
Posted by: Kevin O'Brien | Nov 18, 2009 3:50:29 PM
I don't think it's "Democrats" particularly, although they happen to be "in" now. It's "Washington insiders" of both parties. Their loyalty to the guild of insiders crosses party lines, and far outweighs any vestigial loyalty they might have to the nation, to the archaic concept of "rule of law," and to any antediluvian notion of fair play.
I guess Tax Cheat Tim can't run Treasury without more supporting tax chiselers. Lael, come on down!
Exercise for the reader: what happens to YOU if you "fail to substantiate home office deductions?" Taxes, interest, penalties, maybe even criminal prosecution? Ah, but you're not tax chiseler Lael Brainard. The law DOES apply to YOU. Peon.
Posted by: Kevin O'Brien | Nov 18, 2009 3:34:32 PM
You gotta be kidding me.
How long is this s$it going to go on.
We need to dump this entire House and Senate and start over.
Posted by: Andrew | Nov 18, 2009 3:10:29 PM
Max Baucus: My nominee for "Legislative Idiot of the Week".
Posted by: MarkJ | Nov 18, 2009 2:24:56 PM
I wish I had the time to get an initiative on my state's ballot that says if you're a Democrat you can neglect to pay state tax w/o interest or penalties (civil or criminal).
Only fair to have the same rules apply to even Democrat not just the ones in DC.
Maybe a catchy name for my initiative: The Rangel Rule? Democrat's Deferment? Geithner's Gift? Geithner's Giveaway?
BTW, if I could make that apply to Federal taxes, it would be in the proposed law too.
Posted by: EvilDave | Nov 18, 2009 2:03:50 PM
Bitch belongs in jail with all the other little guys who ran afoul of the IRS.
Posted by: John Skookum | Nov 18, 2009 1:50:49 PM
Call me naive, but I'd rather have someone who knows about international taxes that someone with a perfect Schedule H. Make her pay up and let it go.
Posted by: mike livingston | Nov 18, 2009 1:40:50 PM
This is why Democrats are for taxes. They don't have to pay them until they get a cushy government job. Then, who cares? Surely not the apes in the Senate.
Posted by: templar knight | Nov 18, 2009 1:21:07 PM
I understand the problem. "Late payments"? She actually PAID, and still expects to get a job under Geithner?
Posted by: malclave | Nov 18, 2009 1:16:42 PM
Democrats don't pay taxes, you fool ! That's for little people. "We won," they say.
Posted by: Michael Kennedy | Nov 18, 2009 12:51:10 PM
Well, Paul, you certainly get a diverse audience!
Posted by: Michael A. Livingston | Nov 19, 2009 7:40:29 AM