Grassley Declines to Make Personal Tax Returns Public

[question everything]

November 21, 2009

Grassley Declines to Make Personal Tax Returns Public

By Martin Vaughan

Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa) Friday refused a request from Dow Jones to release his personal tax returns. Sen. Grassley, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has criticized several Obama administration nominees who failed to pay taxes or to pay them on time.

“Senator Grassley files the publicly available, extensive financial disclosure report required of him as a senator,” a Grassley spokeswoman said in response to a request to review his tax returns. “If he’s nominated and accepts a post for a Finance Committee jurisdiction position in an administration, he’ll abide by committee rules and practice, including submitting his tax returns for review by the chairman and ranking member,” the spokeswoman said.

Sen. Grassley said Friday the Obama administration has “lowered the bar” for tax compliance by federal officials, after committee staff inquiries this year revealed taxes went unpaid or were paid late by a string of nominees. “We do not need anyone so badly in the federal government that we allow them to live by their own set of rules,” Sen. Grassley said at a confirmation hearing for Lael Brainard, who is up for Treasury undersecretary for international affairs.

Dow Jones also asked Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) to release his personal tax returns. A spokesman for Baucus did not immediately respond Friday evening. Strict privacy laws safeguard individual tax information, and tax returns of nominees who are subject to confirmation by the Finance panel are not released to the public. Instead, a select group of staffers have access to them for vetting purposes. In some cases — including this year with regard to former Sen. Tom Daschle (D., S. D.) and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner — a bipartisan staff memorandum detailing specific tax irregularities is released to the public.

(snip)

Sen. Grassley lashed out at the Obama White House, saying nominees during previous administrations that had checkered tax histories often withdrew from consideration. He said he is frustrated that nominees like Mr. Geithner and Ms. Brainard have proceeded with support from Democrats, despite their documented tax problems. “I’m not sure if it’s worth our time, or our staffs time to be asking these questions anymore,” Sen. Grassley said.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/11/21/grassley-declines-to-make-personal-tax-returns-public/

[Zoeisright]

1. Gee, WHAT a surprise.

NOT.

Another repuke trying to hide something.

[DJ13]

2. Maybe he doesnt want to show he was one of the 4,600 who

came to terms with the IRS and paid back taxes under the amnesty program for US tax cheaters that were sheltering assets with UBS in Switzerland?

[Bitwit1234]

3. Just like ALL republicans they say do as I say, not as I do.

So they can be tax cheats but you better not be.

[Bitwit1234]

4. Hey -- forgot this

remember when Hillary was running for the nomination. The republicans were screaming and moaning and having absolute fits because she had not released her tax forms soon enough. She did later, and she said at the time it wasn't even April 15th and they were not available as of yet. But that didn't matter to them they kept screaming she had something to hide. Now what does this a**hole have to hide that he won't release them. It has to be something or he would.

[rurallib]

5. Grassley and his family receive some sizable agricultural subsidies

I am guessing that is one thing he would like not to have made public in an election year.
But we will do our best :evilgrin:

link:
http://farm.ewg.org/farm/addrsearch.php?s=yup&stab=US&city=&zip=&last=grassley&first=&i=Search+Recipients&fullname=

The first three are Grassley aand his immediate family. $1 mil. Not bad for a fiscal conservative. But that is through 2006. I am sure there is much more.

1 Robin Grassley New Hartford, IA 50660 $ 699,248.27
2 Charles Grassley Arlington, VA 22202 $ 238,974.47
3 Patrick Grassley New Hartford, IA 50660 $ 8,326.85