I’m trying to get upset about the tax glitches of three Obama nominees, and find the first – Geithner’s – the most obviously troubling. The details of Nancy Kileffer’s sins seem pretty trivial in comparison:
[S]he began to fail to pay unemployment compensation tax for a household employee. And she failed to make the required quarterly payments for a year and half, whereupon a lien for $946.69 was placed on her home. That sum included $298 in unpaid taxes, $48.69 in interest and $600 in penalties. The lien was filed March 7, 2005, but Killefer didn’t get the lien extinguished for almost five months, not until July 29.
I’m not a tax expert and I don’t mean to excuse anyone, but does this seem like a huge deal to you – especially when you consider her credentials and the significance of her proposed job? The tax code is absurdly complicated even when you try to keep it as simple as possible. After this fooferaw, wouldn’t it be a good idea to propose real tax simplification rather than ratchet up the criteria for government officials so no one escapes scandal?
The Dish 