Stuart Smalley fails to pay taxes

[Genx87]

http://www.startribune.com/pol...l/senate/18377884.html

This guy is such a classic leftist. Wants everybody to pay their fair share while he doesnt himself. If he wasnt running for senate would he even pay? The state of NY had to send him into collections to get the taxes he owed. And all he can say is he didnt even know? The guy is either a liar or so effing incompetent he didnt know the state of NY or California or the othet 15 states wanted their taxes.

New York state officials had tried to collect the back premiums for four years, resorting to a collection agency and even filing a summary judgment against Franken in state Supreme Court last May for $25,000

I think this is the best one.

Franken's campaign staff initially said Franken had dissolved the California entity in 2003, producing an unsigned letter on blank paper, dated September, 2003, in which a tax accountant said the company would "no longer be doing business in California."

Do these people think we are idiots?

 

[blackangst1]

That's awesome.

/grabs lawnchair and popcorn for the spin show

 

[MonkeyK]

More detail in another story

Franken said once the payments to the states are settled, he would seek retroactive credit from his states of residence since much of the income taxes he paid to them was supposed to go instead to the 17 other states.

It sounds to me like an honest mistake. He paid taxes on all income but to the wrong state.

 

[Nebor]

New York must be different that Texas as far as tax laws are concerned. If you don't pay, they come and take your stuff at gunpoint. Plus you get thrown in jail for not paying. I've never heard of a state using a collection agency to collect taxes.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Genx87
http://www.startribune.com/pol...l/senate/18377884.html

This guy is such a classic leftist. Wants everybody to pay their fair share while he doesnt himself. If he wasnt running for senate would he even pay? The state of NY had to send him into collections to get the taxes he owed. And all he can say is he didnt even know? The guy is either a liar or so effing incompetent he didnt know the state of NY or California or the othet 15 states wanted their taxes.

This guy is such a classic liar, in the false attacks on the left. Liberals are hardly known for consistently avoiding taxes, or even the side of the spectrum most famous for evading taxes.

 

[spittledip]

I never cared much for Franken. Bitter old woman. But if it is an honest mistake... guess we will see.

 

[Orsorum]

Given the complexity of state and local tax law, I have no doubt this was probably an honest mistake on Franken's part. If his practitioner was not well-versed in the complexities of SALT then the accountant could make some big mistakes without ever realizing it. While the mistakes are inexcusable for the practitioner, they are understandable, and from Franken's perspective, if he can't listen to his accountant then why the hell would he hire him?

I'm a SALT CPA and I see this more often than anything else. Even the big firms screw stuff up, sometimes embarrassingly so.

 

[Genx87]

I worked in two states in highschool and knew I had to file in both states. I find it hard to believe a want to be senator made an "honest" mistake. Especially when one of the states had a summary judgement levied against his company.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Orsorum
Given the complexity of state and local tax law, I have no doubt this was probably an honest mistake on Franken's part. If his practitioner was not well-versed in the complexities of SALT then the accountant could make some big mistakes without ever realizing it. While the mistakes are inexcusable for the practitioner, they are understandable, and from Franken's perspective, if he can't listen to his accountant then why the hell would he hire him?

I'm a SALT CPA and I see this more often than anything else. Even the big firms screw stuff up, sometimes embarrassingly so.

I'm not a CPA, but I took several semesters of tax law (income and corporate) in law school. What a nightmare!! By far, the most poorly-written, confusing, obtuse, and bizarre laws and regs I've ever read, and that's just federal, not state. It was even to the point that the IRS's own general counsel's office couldn't even issue General Counsel Opinions (GCOs, which are binding on the issuing agency as official interpretations of law) without contradicting itself. No wonder tax mistakes are so common. It's very easy to buy the 'simple mistake' excuse from Franken, even if I don't like him personally. The tax code is long overdue for an overhaul.

 

[sportage]

Sounds like an honest mistake. He didnt cut corners on paying taxes, just on hiring his tax accountant, sounds like. Now he'll either have to send the guy back to tax school, or spend a little more and hire a better tax accountant.

 

[Tab]

Who cares? Looks like someone has grudge here...

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: Nebor
New York must be different that Texas as far as tax laws are concerned. If you don't pay, they come and take your stuff at gunpoint. Plus you get thrown in jail for not paying. I've never heard of a state using a collection agency to collect taxes.

Really? When did Texas institute a state income tax and why haven't they come for my stuff cause I haven't paid the taxes that they don't collect for the last few years?

I hope they realize that they don't need guns to take what they have not right to because there isn't a state income tax!

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: Nebor
New York must be different that Texas as far as tax laws are concerned. If you don't pay, they come and take your stuff at gunpoint. Plus you get thrown in jail for not paying. I've never heard of a state using a collection agency to collect taxes.

Really? When did Texas institute a state income tax and why haven't they come for my stuff cause I haven't paid the taxes that they don't collect for the last few years?

I hope they realize that they don't need guns to take what they have not right to because there isn't a state income tax!

Property taxes exist in Texas

 

[jonks]

Clearly, because he's wealthy enough to pay any back taxes and he plans on running for public office which would require turning over his tax returns, he obviously thought a good tax scandal would help him with gaining name recognition. Or there was a paperwork mistake somewhere. This is a tough one to figure out.

 

[umbrella39]

Not even a small blip on my importance radar.

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: Common Courtesy

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Originally posted by: Nebor
New York must be different that Texas as far as tax laws are concerned. If you don't pay, they come and take your stuff at gunpoint. Plus you get thrown in jail for not paying. I've never heard of a state using a collection agency to collect taxes.

Really? When did Texas institute a state income tax and why haven't they come for my stuff cause I haven't paid the taxes that they don't collect for the last few years?

I hope they realize that they don't need guns to take what they have not right to because there isn't a state income tax!

Property taxes exist in Texas

Not relevant to the topic of income taxes from monies earned in a different state.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: MonkeyK
More detail in another story

Franken said once the payments to the states are settled, he would seek retroactive credit from his states of residence since much of the income taxes he paid to them was supposed to go instead to the 17 other states.

It sounds to me like an honest mistake. He paid taxes on all income but to the wrong state.

Winner.

Contray to what the OP and others are trying to spin. He did pay all his taxs. His accountant sent them to the wrong state where they should have been filed.

 

[kage69]

Contray to what the OP and others are trying to spin. He did pay all his taxs. His accountant sent them to the wrong state where they should have been filed.

Yep. The story here isn't about Franken (who I admit is annoying and not funny), the story is this is what happens when the righties have nothing better than smearing by association a la Obama's pastor (for example). Dig up something inconsequential, add standard bash regarding "libs" or "leftists," and spin away!

Beats discussing real policy news or the actions of people that actually matter - and I think pretty much everyone can agree that Al Franken just doesn't matter.

Must be a slow day at Faux...

 

[Genx87]

That's awesome.

/grabs lawnchair and popcorn for the spin show

The responses in this thread is not surprising. Ill remember these responses when they whine about the "rich" not paying their taxes. Apparently somebody running for senate not paying taxes in 17 states, having one state have a summary judgement placed against his business for failure to pay and making up a letter on plain paper as proof they stopped doing business in California which was false is a-ok if the ideology fits.

 

[CitizenKain]

Originally posted by: Genx87

That's awesome.

/grabs lawnchair and popcorn for the spin show

The responses in this thread is not surprising. Ill remember these responses when they whine about the "rich" not paying their taxes. Apparently somebody running for senate not paying taxes in 17 states, having one state have a summary judgement placed against his business for failure to pay and making up a letter on plain paper as proof they stopped doing business in California which was false is a-ok if the ideology fits.

So this is pretty much the only thing right wingers can bring up on him, is that he hired a bad tax accountant.

 

[OrByte]

Originally posted by: Genx87

That's awesome.

/grabs lawnchair and popcorn for the spin show

The responses in this thread is not surprising. Ill remember these responses when they whine about the "rich" not paying their taxes. Apparently somebody running for senate not paying taxes in 17 states, having one state have a summary judgement placed against his business for failure to pay and making up a letter on plain paper as proof they stopped doing business in California which was false is a-ok if the ideology fits.

can I inject into this discussion the same argument as some of the die-hard Bush fluffers employ everytime people say Bush is a liar?

ok here it goes:

PROVE IT. If Stuart Smalley says it was a mistake then it was a mistake..he isn't lying.

:laugh:

 

[fskimospy]

Man this is a pathetic season for right wingers. You guys really need to work on your scandal machine, normally you are much better then this.

 

[Craig234]

Dup.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Genx87

That's awesome.

/grabs lawnchair and popcorn for the spin show

The responses in this thread is not surprising. Ill remember these responses when they whine about the "rich" not paying their taxes. Apparently somebody running for senate not paying taxes in 17 states, having one state have a summary judgement placed against his business for failure to pay and making up a letter on plain paper as proof they stopped doing business in California which was false is a-ok if the ideology fits.

The response above is not surprising.

Idiocy confuses the issue of the ultra wealthy abusing their power to get out of paying taxes, legally and illegally, for example as documented in the books by Pultizer-Prize winning reporter David Cay Johnston (look them up), with the fact that Al Franken is reported to have had his taxes, which he paid, go to the wrong state, and even after a number of people point this out, this clueless righty still tries to smear him by lying.

 

[Harvey]

I noticed you didn't bother to post any of the article at your own link:

Franken pays $70,000 back taxes, penalties

By PATRICIA LOPEZ and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken, front-runner in the race to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, said on Tuesday that he has paid $70,000 in back taxes and penalties owed in 17 states, going back to 2003.

Franken, who has earned income across the country for celebrity appearances and speeches, blamed his accountant of 18 years for failing to pay the appropriate taxes owed in each state.

The accountant, Allen Chanzis of New York, "just made a basic kind of error that had a lot of ramifications," Franken said.

Franken said that he paid federal and state taxes on all of his income, but that the accountant had failed to properly distribute the tax payments.

The net result, Franken said, was that between 2003 and 2006, he overpaid taxes in New York and Minnesota while failing to pay in 17 other states where he earned income.

Franken said the $70,000 is his newly hired tax team's estimation of taxes and penalties owed in the various states. Once those tax returns have been processed, he said he will be able to apply for a credit on taxes overpaid in New York and Minnesota.

In total Franken said he under paid taxes by just over $4,000.
.
.
(continues)

So the first seven paragraphs of your wannabe scandal get as far as saying he has already paid most of the taxes, and he offered a plausible explanation about why there was confusion about how much he owed to which tax authorities.

Has he been charged, let alone convicted, of anything? Do you have any evidence that he will be? Do you believe he has a right to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law?

Unless you've got anything more incriminating than this, you're blowing smoke.

Originally posted by: Genx87

Do these people think we are idiots?

No, but if you want to volunteer for such consideration, I wouldn't vote against it. :laugh: