Kerry says $819,848 tax lien is clerical error

[WriteDown]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service has filed a $819,848 tax lien against Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, but Kerry on Wednesday blamed IRS clerical error for the claim and said his campaign owes no tax penalties.

The Massachusetts Democrat said the IRS mishandled payroll tax forms that he said were correctly filed by his campaign in 2005.

"This is a clerical matter, nothing more, nothing less," said Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith.

IRS spokesman Anthony Burke declined comment Wednesday, adding that IRS employees are precluded by law from commenting on tax cases.

The IRS notified the Kerry campaign in January 2008 that it had failed to file certain payroll tax forms for the 2004 tax year....



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvk1ehUwGZNc_iXjvgcuA5yLQSygD98JALUG3

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The dangers of having Tim Geitner do your taxes.

[tabatha]

1. Yeah, I am sure Tim Geithner personally did Kerry's taxes.

Project much?

[Tempest]

4. And if it's an IRS error, what does Geithner have to do with it?

Some people just can't let it go.

[WriteDown]

12. See post 11. nt

[Tempest]

16. See post #15 n/t

[WriteDown]

11. Go in for service...

Your joke meter is malfunctioning.

[Tempest]

15. There's a reason for the smilies

Unless there's a clear punch line, and yours didn't contain even the hint of one, jokes in written form fall flat on their face.

[WriteDown]

18. The punch line was directed at Tim Geitner...

My apologies. I thought it was obvious enough that I did not need a smilie.

[Tempest]

19. And that's why it was taken seriously

Geithner has taken a lot of flake on DU so it's understandable some wouldn't take it as a joke.

[tabatha]

21. Was not a joke - it was sarcasm.

[Taverner]

2. Christfuck, the GOP is going to run with this

Even though it probably is a clerical error...

They will never forgive Kerry for telling the truth about Vietnam

[Tempest]

3. The GOP has their hands full

I doubt they want to take on another red herring that would blow up in their faces.

[Taverner]

5. Oh, Kerry bashing is always win-win for the GOP

Going after a moderate Justice who is truly a self-made woman will always backfire

But going after Kerry, they can make up ENDLESS BS about him. And the Freepers will believe it.

[Tempest]

8. And Kerry gets re-elected

Sound and fury, signifying nothing.

[karynnj]

28. In 2014!

[alfredo]

6. It's not just that. He busted BCCI and Iran Contra.

[Taverner]

7. There is that too

Kerry, despite his mistakes, was a TRUE American hero

He shoulda been President

[Tempest]

9. Technically he was president

If not for the fraud in Ohio led by Blackwell.

[Taverner]

10. Yes, and I'm still pissed

[Tempest]

14. Hell, I'm still pissed about the 2000 election

Especially considering the damage done to the nation from the fraud perpetuated on the American public.

[Taverner]

20. Yes - and the fact that neither Gore nor Kerry faught the "decision" always made me think

Maybe Bill Hicks was right with that whole "film" they showed Clinton...

[wisteria]

36. Amen! n/t

[Igel]

38. Wait one dog-gone minute.

If Kerry was technically elected president in 2004, and Gore was technically elected president in 2000, does that mean, technically speaking, that Kerry beat Gore in the primary? Was Gore's technically existent first term his only term? Did he do such a technically bad job that he was technically challenged in the primary and he technically lost?

Or perhaps he was technically assassinated and VP -become-Prez Lieberman lost the primary. Yes, I'm sure that must, technically speaking, be it, although it does have the downside that I have to, technically speaking, refer to Gore as deceased. So maybe that's not it.

[alfredo]

26. He was a member of the upper class that actually went to war and

served heroically. That makes the others in his class look bad.

[jwirr]

32. And just the other day he announced he was going after some more

big time crooks. Is the error and his announcement connected?

[Taverner]

33. Spitzer was his choice for AG

I still support that choice

[WriteDown]

13. The IRS itself is a clerical error. nt

[Downwinder]

17. When is the last time their books balanced? n/t

[Taverner]

24. As someone who has watched revenues v budget I seriously think there is something going on there...

You try to match the revenue to the budget

There is easily a 50% disconnect (e.g. less money)

The same thing happens from State to State

Where does that 50% go?

[karynnj]

27. Even if the IRS is correct, this does not reflect in any way on the Senator

He did not do the accounting on the campaign. There is no culpability. The GOP may try to embarrass him, but he is not up for re-election until 2014 and I think MA knows he is clean.

[Mithreal]

22. Ironic that Kerry can have an election stolen

and there is an attempt to smear him now.

Why now? Just a non-story?

[wisteria]

35. He is beginning investigations into matters that some would prefer left under a rock in the dark. n/

[JonQ]

23. That's an awful lot of money to be written off as an error

I'd notice if I had 800,000 more dollars than I was supposed to.

Have you ever noticed these massive, unnoticed for years, tax errors are always the individual owing money, never being owed it from the IRS? Seems odd if they were in fact all legit errors.

[karynnj]

29. This was not Kerry's taxes, but the campaign's

and it likely included calculated penalties. The campaign had $75 million dollars. Also, this seems to be a penalty because the iRS said they didn't file forms - which they said they did. They gave the IRS the information last year. It is very possible that the IRS, which lost the forms also lost the record of the payments.

[karynnj]

25. Why are you assuming that it is Kerry's problem?

It seems like his staff responded and gave the IRS what was needed a long time ago and has called them monthly.

Geitner pretty clearly intentionally avoided taxes. Here the worst possibility is that the accountants who worked on the 2004 campaign made errors and Kerry will have to use money from his Senate fund to pay it- though Smith's story holds together better than the IRS one. (The IRS is I believe under Geitner)

[karynnj]

30. Amazing this already as more replies, than a post on Kerry breaking the US/Syria logjam

posted this morning. That actually involved what Kerry did. That is real and could positively impact the world.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8447790

The tax issue could at worst mean Kerry will have to use some of his Senate fund to pay it or use personal funds. It is also much more likely that the IRS is wrong.

[wisteria]

37. This is an IRS error, and you are right that the US/Syria logjam should be big news.

This is also a good example why he should have been SOS. However, for Senator Kerry, it more a matter of what is right for the country.

[onehandle]

31. What does Geitner have to do with this? Nothing.

What-ever.

[wisteria]

34. Kerry would not hire incompetent people to handle his business, the IRS on the other hand....

This is an IRS mistake no doubt about it. I wonder if they will acknowledge the mistake publicly and apologize to Senator Kerry? This would be the right thing to do to set the record straight, but I doubt it will happen. I think someone wanted this story out here.