Over the past 15 years, Sen. John Edwards has been delinquent nine times on property taxes owed on his homes and automobiles, most recently on a house his family owns in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington. Edwards, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, paid $11,092.46 to the District of Columbia on Thursday to settle a property-tax bill that was four months late. Jennifer Palmieri, Edwards' campaign spokeswoman , said the family never received a bill for the Georgetown property, which they bought in December for $3.8 million but have not moved into and no longer plan to occupy. The bill was paid after the campaign was questioned by a reporter from The Washington Times, which published a story Thursday.
In a brief interview, Edwards acknowledged Thursday that he had been late on his taxes on some occasions.
Neither he nor his campaign staff offered an explanation.
"I've always paid my taxes," Edwards said shortly after leaving a town-hall-style meeting with constituents. "My taxes have been paid in full, and I take personal responsibility for any time that bills have been paid late." Edwards, a former trial lawyer, holds assets of at least $12 million, according to his most recently filed Senate disclosure form. In addition to the recent episode in Washington, Edwards has been late enough paying taxes to accrue penalties once on his family's residence in Raleigh and twice on a beach property on Figure Eight Island. Since 1995, Edwards and his wife have been delinquent five times paying county taxes on vehicles they own.
Republicans were quick to seize on the revelations. The Republican parties in North Carolina and South Carolina, an early presidential primary state, fired off statements accusing Edwards of hypocrisy.
"You know, all those 'regular people' that John Edwards claims to represent in his run for the presidency pay THEIR taxes," wrote Linda Daves , the interim chairwoman of the N.C. Republican Party. "Simply unbelievable."
In the District of Columbia, property taxes are due twice a year, on March 31 and Sept. 15. The first time the Edwardses were due to pay taxes on their Georgetown house was March 31. The home's assessed value is nearly $2 million . The family's bill was $9,562.46, but it grew to $11,092.46 after penalties and interest.
The family plans to sell the property, Palmieri said. While in Washington, the Edwardses live in a house they are renting in the northwestern section of the city.
North Carolina property taxes are due Sept. 1, but payments are not delinquent and penalties are not assessed until the first business day on or after Jan. 5.
Wake County revenue director Emmett D. Curl said about 85 percent of payments arrive in the last two weeks of December and the first week of January. About 4 percent arrive after January, he said.
The Edwardses' delinquent payments, received in January or later in North Carolina, were :
* Once on their Raleigh house on Alleghany Drive, now assessed at $987,091. In 1995, they were charged $111.21 in penalties for late payment of their 1994 tax bill. The bill was paid Feb. 1, 1995, 27 days after the delinquency date.
* Twice on their beach property on Figure Eight Island in New Hanover County, now assessed at $1,033,410. The 1988 bill was paid more than two months after the delinquency date, on March 26, 1989, with penalties and fees of $23.26. At the time, there was not yet a house on the property. The bill for 1992, after the house had been built, was paid three weeks late, on Jan. 29, 1993, with a penalty of $54.13.
* Five times on automobiles owned jointly by the couple. Two bills were paid March 22, 1995, more than two months late, on a 1989 Mitsubishi and a 1991 Acura. A payment Nov. 13, 2001, on a 1994 GMC arrived 12 days after the delinquency date.
Delinquent payments were received for a 1998 Buick on June 12, 2002, about six weeks late; and for a 1998 Volvo on April 8, 2002, five weeks late. The amounts of late penalties were not available.
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