Political Big-Shots Owe Big- I'm sure many of you have read this all before, but let me refresh those who have been inquiring about this issue. A series of Obama's top cabinet nominees were revealed to owe the IRS big bucks. Not one, not two, but three of them. Timothy Geithner, Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer are the three embarrassed offenders. Here's the breakdown.
Timothy Geithner: Our new Treasury Secretary (as in, the guy who oversees the collection of taxes) owed over $35,000 to the IRS before he was sworn in on January 26, 2009. Geithner places part of the blame on TurboTax, which he used to prepare his taxes. My two cents is this; why didn't he hire a qualified professional to file his taxes on his behalf if he was too busy to do it himself? Apparently, it would have saved him grief in the long run.
Tom Daschle: Daschle was nominated for Health and Human Services Secretary, but withdrew soon after his huge tax blunders were made public. The former Senator paid his $140,167 Tax Debt in January 2009. Reportedly, he still owes thousands more!
Nancy Killefer: Killefer was nominated for a new post that concentrated on federal budget and reform. Ironically, she withdrew her nomination due to "Tax Issues," once it was discovered that she once had a $900 lien placed on her house for failing to pay unemployment taxes on household help.
I can't wrap my head around it... How did Timothy Geithner, Tom Daschle, and Nancy Killefer think their Tax Debt blunders would go unnoticed? Take a lesson from these three, there's no running from your Tax Debt mistakes or obligations. The only option you have is to move forward, and find the best solution for saving your debt (or in their cases, your reputation)!