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?
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?
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.
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?
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!")
U.S. Sen. John Edwards, an N.C. Democrat and presidential candidate, paid $11,000 in Washington, D.C., property taxes Thursday -- four months late and after inquiries from a newspaper.
Edwards, a multimillionaire former trial lawyer, and his wife, Elizabeth, also have been tardy paying property taxes on their house and cars in Raleigh more than 30 times over the past decade, including eight times in which they had to pay interest.
He also has paid two late bills and interest since 1989 on his property and house on Figure Eight Island, an exclusive, private island off of Wrightsville Beach.
In the case of the Washington house, the Edwardses bought a four-story home in the Georgetown area of Washington last year for nearly $4 million and planned to renovate it. Recently they said they plan to stay in the house they're renting in northwest Washington and are considering selling the Georgetown house. The $11,092 tax bill on it was due March 31 but wasn't paid until a Washington Times reporter asked about it earlier this week.
"The Edwardses never received a bill from the D.C. city government," Jennifer Palmieri, Edwards's campaign spokeswoman, said Thursday. "As soon as they got a copy of it, they paid it. The check was delivered today. He's happy to pay his share."
D.C.'s tax office likely got confused by Edwards' multiple housing deals, according to Tony Bullock, spokesman for Washington Mayor Anthony Williams.
"(Edwards) sold his house in Woodley Park, bought a house in Georgetown and moved into a third house he was renting," Bullock said. "More than likely what happened here is that the tax bill got lost in the swirl of those movements. Our tax office is pretty good but we can't guarantee that we sent the tax bill to the right address. Clearly Senator Edwards had every intention of paying his bill."
Republicans quickly contrasted Edwards' late tax payments with his campaign rhetoric about exhibiting responsibility, not creating tax breaks for the wealthy and serving as a champion for "regular people."
"Senator, those `regular people' that you claim so nobly to be running to represent pay their taxes," said Linda Daves of Charlotte, interim state GOP chair. "The hypocrisy of your words versus your actions is simply overwhelming."
The late tax payments in Raleigh, in Wake County, were on the Edwards' house in the Country Club neighborhood and several cars over the years. N.C. counties allow a grace period of a month after car taxes are due before charging interest on delinquent payments.
Most of the payments arrived a few days beyond the grace period, but the image of a millionaire paying his taxes late could be politically problematic for Edwards. He boasts of a working class empathy drawn from his mill town roots in Robbins, N.C., and regularly bashes President Bush for catering to the rich.
"We need to make sure," Edwards said in the text for a speech last November to the Fortune Global Forum, "that businesses and wealthy investors are held to the same standard as ordinary Americans when it comes to following our tax laws."
I believe we have a patriotic duty to avoid taxes to every extent possible. I file at the last minute, structure my business so that I can take advatage of every loophole, etc. But I would never pay late and endure the pernalties and interest. That is just plain lazy and stupid.
Edwards is doing himself, his family and society a disservice by pissing away his wealth to be eaten up by the least productive people in our society (ie, government bureaucrats). The capital wasted in penalties would be far more beneficial in the private sector where it could help the economy and create jobs. So one could argue that Edwards' inefficient management of capital is responsible for some measure of decreased productivity and increased unemployment.
Also, it makes one wonder what else he is inattentive to.
I know for a fact that they are not messing around as I set payment arrangements with them in the past( sales commissions exceeded more than I our co. accountant had advised). Got my Auto tax and this is incentivising me.
As said "the hits keep on coming".
