Obama's Treasury Nominee Failed To Pay Taxes

[ThoughtCriminal]

WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama's choice to run the Treasury Department and lead the economic rescue effort disclosed to senators Tuesday that he failed to pay $34,000 in taxes from 2001 to 2004, a last-minute complication in an otherwise smooth path to confirmation.

Timothy Geithner paid most of the past-due taxes days before Obama announced his nomination in November, an Obama transition official said. The unpaid taxes were discovered by Obama's transition team while investigating Geithner's background, the official said.

The transition official requested anonymity because the source was not authorized to discuss Geithner's situation.

Obama reiterated his support Tuesday for Geithner as senators who are considering the appointment quizzed Geithner behind closed doors.

"He's dedicated his career to our country and served with honor, intelligence and distinction," incoming White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. "That service should not be tarnished by honest mistakes, which, upon learning of them, he quickly addressed."

Geithner failed to pay self-employment taxes for money he earned while working for the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2003, the transition official said. In 2006, the IRS notified him that he owed $14,847 in self-employment taxes and $2,383 in penalties from 2003 and 2004.

Transition officials discovered last fall that Geithner also had not paid the taxes in 2001 or 2002. He paid $25,970 in taxes and interest for those years several days before Obama announced his nomination, the transition official said.

Geithner also didn't realize a housekeeper he paid in 2004 and 2005 did not have current employment documentation as an immigrant for the final three months she worked for him, the transition official said.

Geithner is the second Obama nominee to face controversy. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew his name on Jan. 4 as Obama's Commerce secretary after questions surfaced about an ongoing federal investigation.

[Cole]

Honest mistakes I'm sure, but very comical. You'd hope the guy Obama pegged to run the nation's treasury could at least handle his own finances first.

[jerkin]

Honest mistakes, yeah right. I forget to pay my taxes all the time. You can be a crook and work for this administration, hell it's probably a prerequisite, you just can't be a gun owner.

[archangel689]

Dude,

They know exactly what they're doing. These people don't do their own taxes. They are cheating every step of the way. I don't trust them.

[str8shooter]

OK, a journalist sometimes can't help but show a little bias in his column, but this is an insult to anyone with half a brain. A last minute complication? So, he failed to share the wealth for a few years, no biggie. And how can a man who's going to champion our country's economic rebound be expected to keep track of small details, like whether or not the hired help is legal? Didn't anyone catch on when he was paying social security and medicare taxes for someone who wasn't legally supposed to be getting a paycheck? Or maybe filing those forms slipped his mind also. But hey, if the new economic stimulus package is stop paying your taxes, maybe this guy won't be so bad after all.

Who next to join the Obama team, Kevin Mitnick as head of the NSA, Plaxico Burress as Director of the Secret Service. Why not?

[adymond]

OK, a journalist sometimes can't help but show a little bias in his column, but this is an insult to anyone with half a brain. A last minute complication? So, he failed to share the wealth for a few years, no biggie. And how can a man who's going to champion our country's economic rebound be expected to keep track of small details, like whether or not the hired help is legal? Didn't anyone catch on when he was paying social security and medicare taxes for someone who wasn't legally supposed to be getting a paycheck? Or maybe filing those forms slipped his mind also. But hey, if the new economic stimulus package is stop paying your taxes, maybe this guy won't be so bad after all.

Who next to join the Obama team, Kevin Mitnick as head of the NSA, Plaxico Burress as Director of the Secret Service. Why not?

Fucking rep nazis!

He didn't pay taxes while he was a consultant. Anyone who has worked as a contract employee or been self employeed knows how hard it is to manage the tax burden so you hire an accountant. Now I'm not talking about asking uncle Herb to do your 10-40 EZ. You get a tax professional. If your tax professional failed to file and pay $34,000 in 3 years would you fire them and sue them for gross negligence or would you just have them fix things and move on?

This prick knew he wasn't paying taxes and just didn't care.

He didn't know his hired help wasn't legal? Really? What happens if you or I purchase a firearm from a seller who has allowed their FFL to lapse? Do any of you really think the government wouldn't try to HAMMER us and make our asses bleed?

[str8shooter]

Fucking rep nazis!

He didn't pay taxes while he was a consultant. Anyone who has worked as a contract employee or been self employeed knows how hard it is to manage the tax burden so you hire an accountant. Now I'm not talking about asking uncle Herb to do your 10-40 EZ. You get a tax professional. If your tax professional failed to file and pay $34,000 in 3 years would you fire them and sue them for gross negligence or would you just have them fix things and move on?

This prick knew he wasn't paying taxes and just didn't care.

He didn't know his hired help wasn't legal? Really? What happens if you or I purchase a firearm from a seller who has allowed their FFL to lapse? Do any of you really think the government wouldn't try to HAMMER us and make our asses bleed?

Turns out I answered my own question and didn't even know it. I just read an update and it seems the taxes he didn't pay were <drum roll> Social Security and Medicare. If he wasn't paying his own, you can be damn sure he wasn't paying the housekeeper's either.

[Brick]

Fucking rep nazis!

He didn't pay taxes while he was a consultant. Anyone who has worked as a contract employee or been self employeed knows how hard it is to manage the tax burden so you hire an accountant. Now I'm not talking about asking uncle Herb to do your 10-40 EZ. You get a tax professional. If your tax professional failed to file and pay $34,000 in 3 years would you fire them and sue them for gross negligence or would you just have them fix things and move on?

This prick knew he wasn't paying taxes and just didn't care.

He didn't know his hired help wasn't legal? Really? What happens if you or I purchase a firearm from a seller who has allowed their FFL to lapse? Do any of you really think the government wouldn't try to HAMMER us and make our asses bleed?

Verily thou speaketh the truth! He was in a position were he knew he was supposed to make quarterly estimated tax payments and he didn't do it. And we are supposed to believe that he's the only one smart enough to run the Treasury Dept.?

[chrisaka]

I just read this updated article on MSNBC.com. Damn! This is our new Treasury Secretary! Completely ridiculous.

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Spineless "representatives"...but what do they care, they probably skip on their taxes, too.