Records: SC Gov Candidate Haley Paid Taxes Late

[SecularMotion]

Source: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley has repeatedly paid fines for not paying her income taxes on time.

Tax records released Wednesday by Haley's campaign show she and her husband filed their taxes late beginning in 2005. Haley is a fiscal conservative and tea party favorite who cites her experience as an accountant on the campaign trail.

The state legislator and her husband have been fined more than $4,000 over five years.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/08/04/us/politics/AP-US-SC-Governor-Haley.html?hp

[davidinalameda]

1. she's been too busy to pay her taxes?

honestly, there is no excuse for doing so unless you're trying to NOT pay them

[orbitalman]

2. Isn't this splitting unserious hairs? nt

[Stuckinthebush]

3. Yes

It is. She was late and was fined. Big damn deal.

Hell, I've done that. I'm more interested in her wacky ideas and how they will affect the people of South Carolina.

[SecularMotion]

5. If she's running on her experience as an accountant

"Haley is a fiscal conservative and tea party favorite who cites her experience as an accountant on the campaign trail."

she should explain why she filed late and paid fines.

[Stand and Fight]

7. Now that argument has some credence.

Still a pretty weak charge against an opponent.

[unblock]

9. ah, but weak charges are the very stuff of negative campaigning!

just as the jab is the very stuff of boxing. the more powerful punches are far more effective after a series of jabs have set the stage.

if that's the only charge and the end of it, sure, it's weak. but if this is part of a larger attack on character, then it's good tactics. it'll make people more likely to believe a far bigger accusation later.

[SecularMotion]

10. It's not negative campaigning.

It speaks to her competency to hold office.

Will she be paying penalties for mis-managing government resources?

I'm surprised the tea-baggers haven't addressed this issue with their concern for high taxes and deficits.

[unblock]

11. hmm, it's you're right, but for the wrong reason.

reading the article again, the source doesn't appear to be any opposition candidate, so it's not negative campaigning -- it's not campagining at all, it's just -- wait for it -- actual reporting!

but, had it come from an opposition candidate, it would qualify as negative campaigning, even if it's a truthful argument with merit and relevance. negative campaigning doesn't just mean fabricated slime.

[Ian David]

4. I've paid my taxes late when I've been broke. n/t

[Stand and Fight]

6. Who cares?

Is this the best thing Democrats have to go after her on? If anything this will draw her support -- not derision. I don't think I'm in the minority of Americans who dislike the IRS and taxes.

This wouldn't cause me to vote for her, but it certainly would not cause me to NOT vote for her if I was on the fence or a supporter.

[unblock]

8. paying taxes late is a fairly cheap way to borrow funds.

once upon a time, you had to be back interest AND penalties. in the early 80's that meant something north of 30% effective annual interest, iirc. at some point, probably under reagan, they did away with the routine penalties for paying late (you have to be REALLY late in order to get hit with a penalty) and of course interest rates have come down so much that now it's somewhere in the 5%-6% neighborhood, far cheaper than credit cards certainly. if you can't refinance your house, this may be the cheapest option.

now FILING late is another matter entirely. no excuse for that, and it never makes financial sense to FILE late. but you can file on time and still pay late.


it's not clear to me from the article if the "fines" are actual penalties for late filings or severely late payments, or if they're merely the routine interest charged on late payments.