Taxpaying Is For The Little People
Government jobs, especially those in the White House, pay pretty well. So, why are there so many Obama aides who owe back taxes? Andrew Malcolm blogs at IBD:
The Internal Revenue Service reported earlier this year that 36 Obama aides in the White House owe a total of $833,000 in back taxes. They are among thousands of federal employees across the country who as of last year still owed an astounding $3.4 billion in back taxes, the IRS said.
They're running up our deficit, yet they don't have to make good on their own personal bill to Uncle Sam? I guess these things don't matter when you're so busy drumming up hope for change -- uh, well, that's what I have anyway...not that I want to vote for anyone who's running.
I got $2 back from the state this year. I decided to treat myself and bought um.....well what can you buy with $2?
Amy! My brother is moving to France permanently, now we can finally chat about the wonders of french cheese. Can't wait to try, yum!
Purplepen at April 5, 2012 11:41 PM
Remember this.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at April 6, 2012 12:45 AM
"an astounding $3.4 billion"?
Enough to run the government for three hours. Chicken feed, small change, nit-picking penny-ante beer money rattling about in the federal cookie jar, three coins in the debt fountain, clattering in uncle sam's clothes dryer, not worth turning over the sofa to tip the chinese take-out guy who buys our treasury bonds. What is this "astounding" word that Andrew Malcolm uses?
On 2 April 2012 the federal government under President Obama spent precisely $38,247,317,215.30 more than it took in.
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/211752.php
Storm Saxon's Gall Bladder at April 6, 2012 7:33 AM
It's very likely the back taxes are owed from prior years. That is, if you owed $60,000 in back taxes and got hired at the WH in 2010...you still owe $60,000 in back taxes, and probably can't pay it all off in 1 year of working.
Also, they aren't necessarily "aides." All we know is that they work in the Executive Office of the President, which employs roughly 1100 people, including tech support, secretaries, phone operators, and various other support staff. I don't think it's damning if the guy who fixes the computers in the budget director's office owes money to the IRS. If the budget director or policy aides owe it, that's a bigger deal.
Peter H at April 6, 2012 7:42 AM
The key issue isn't how much or how little. It's that when I supposedly misfigured and owed $138 they threatened to garnishee my wages, even though they took 2 years to figure it out, AND IT TURNED OUT THEY WERE WRONG. How are these people getting away with it?
It should be illegal for a Civil Servant to do this, and they should be fired if they don't get it fixed. I'd be willing to bet that there is some statute or other being violated, but not prosecuted...
And what of the government ethics training they take every year?
If I was prez, I'd jump on this with both feet, because it reflects poorly on him.
SwissArmyD at April 6, 2012 10:59 AM
"All we know is that they work in the Executive Office of the President, which employs roughly 1100 people, including tech support, secretaries, phone operators, and various other support staff."
That should give one pause.
FDR didn't have that many in there, while fighting a war in each hemisphere against First World opponents. How many less? About a thousand. I've heard his staff was double digits. I bet they knew what they were doing there.
Now compare accomplishments.
Radwaste at April 6, 2012 2:55 PM
Jim P. at April 7, 2012 6:51 AM
Radwaste,
I don't know what the proper size of the EEOP should be. My point is that if you take a random sample of 1100 americans and find 36 of them owe back taxes, that would not be unusual. In fact, it would be unusually low.
Peter H at April 8, 2012 7:43 AM
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