Edwards late with property taxes 9 times

newsandobserver.com ^ | 1 August 2003 | By JOHN WAGNER AND BRUCE SICELOFF, Staff Writers

[defeat_the_dem_igods]

The family's bill was $9,562.46, but it grew to $11,092.46 after penalties and interest.

To the Dems, would you want Opie to handle 'your' money?

[Lunatic Fringe]

Think of the poor children who didn't get their school lunches because he failed to pay his taxes!

[Loyal Buckeye]

Do I sense a pattern developing?

[Constitution Day]

"John Edwards thinks taxes are for the little people" ping.

[w1andsodidwe]

To the Dems, would you want Opie to handle 'your' money?

This is so typical of the demonRATS. Tax everybody as much as possible and then skip paying your own taxes with no explaination.

This is outrageous behavior, but the demonRATS will defend his right to make these silly little mistakes, but don't you try it or your property will be confiscated by them.

[Drango]

"Only the little people pay taxes." Leona Helmsley

[defeat_the_dem_igods]

Like paying 24% (and more) on credit card balances, the idea of incurring penalties and interest on late paying taxes is beyond my comprehension.

And here we have an individual who certainly must contract with a high-dollar accounting firm, after all, he is a principal in a law firm, and also controls a non-profit organization.

As with most business owners, the accounting firm usually files the personal return at "no cost".

Then why doesn't Opie have the firm handle bill-paying?

Blows my mind!

[gunnedah]

Edwards organizes his business well to be a lawyer and wanta be president. Didnt receive a bill, well that is the best excuse I ever heard for not paying someone I owe, think I will try it.I will also bet Edwards didnt pay all the penalities they speak of, you have people who are constantly late paying taxes that are forgiven of penalities by those in control.
Also I am sure he bleeds for and understands the average mans pain when he has all this property and style of living that he cant keep up with. Poor fellow.
If I didnt pay taxes I could afford to demand they keep going up, we are not sucking enough blood from the populace as it is.

[cksharks]

Campaign ad! John Edwards deprives elderly food by not paying taxes and causes people to die.

[Peach]

If he can't manage his family finances, he certainly cannot manage the United States

[kezekiel]

Good grief... how many of us could stand up to this kind of scrutiny? Garbage like this will chill everyone but self-rightneous ne'r-do-wrongs from seeking office.

[goodnesswins]

HEY....late once, twice, even three times...OKAY...but NINE TIMES??????? Sorry, the guy (and his wife) are not good financial managers....I don't want them touching any FEDERAL tax money.

[defeat_the_dem_igods]

Garbage like this will chill everyone but self-rightneous ne'r-do-wrongs from seeking office.

One would think ;-)

[southernnorthcarolina]

I absolutely refuse to play the "class warfare" card. There honestly isn't a jealous bone in my body, and as far as I'm concerned, there's not a thing in the world wrong with being or becoming wealthy.

But... I find it ironic that the "party of the people," or the "party of the workin' man" has twice recently run in North Carolina statewide contests extravagently wealthy candidates who largely financed their own campaigns: Erskine Bowles (who, let's just say, married very well), and John Edwards.

Senator Edwards owns three residences with tax-assessed valuations totalling about $4 million: $2 million for his Georgetown (DC) townhouse, and $1 million each for his homes in Raleigh and on Figure Eight Island. Note that these are tax valuations; market value is often higher, sometimes much so. For instance, he paid $4 million for the DC townhouse.

Again, that's fine. But is it too much to ask that he pay his taxes on time?

[Constitution Day]

Indexing to Edwards Watch...

[Biblebelter]

After Clinton's crimes, this will not be a problem for the Democratic spin machine. Since the Dems pay lip service to recycling, how about "Everybody pays their taxes late".

[wbill]

My feeling is that anyone can let a bill slip. Particularly a busy man, with a large number of property holdings.

But if I let say, a power bill 'slip', NINE times, they come and turn my power off.

I don't want this man managing my money. At best, he needs a new acountant. At worst, he's financially inept.

I think that this story has legs. The BS with Bowles' financial shenanigans was far worse, but the average voter wouldn't understand it. Not paying your bills is something that they all comprehend.

[Koblenz]

Nine times does seem to be a lot of late tax payments, although I'd imagine that Edwards has a lot of properties, and probably can't keep track of everything. I actually think the DC property tax is the most understandable. If you buy a house somewhere, you're not familiar with the dates property taxes are due, nor will you know the exact amount due, until the bill comes. I pay the property tax on my car, but if I never got a bill, I'd never know how much to pay or where to send it. I can imagine the same applies for a house, especially if you don't live there. And I'm willing to bet that the DC department that sends out taxes might not be the most organized place on the planet.

Some of the late taxes on cars are a bit inconsequential, especially if the notices were sent to his house in NC while he was in DC. However, the main problem here is that you've got nine late payments. I certainly don't think he was trying to avoid taxes. I really think that is shows some disorganization in running his personal finances. Since he does travel a lot, and does buy investment properties, it would probably be prudent for him to pay an accountant to handle this type of stuff. Even if you had to pay $100 per hour, it would probably only take three hours a week, and he's save a lot in late fees, interest, and probably in taxes as well, as an accountant could better keep track of receipts, business expenses, etc. Geez, I hope if he becomes President (not bloodly likely), he decides to hire a treasury secretary and not do it himself. ("I was at a summit in Geneva, and never knew that the interest payments on those T-Bonds was due. But I've got my assistant taking the payment to Wall Street right now!")

[VRWC_minion]

This is no big deal. We are wasting our time on such issues.

[defeat_the_dem_igods]

Geez, I hope if he becomes President (not bloodly likely), he decides to hire a treasury secretary and not do it himself.

good chuckle...