Tax returns are a deal breaker

[nathanm]

If he cheated on his taxes, someone would have noticed a long time ago.

Who said they didn't? The IRS catches people using abusive tax shelters every year. They pay the back taxes (without penalty thanks to their magic opinion letters) and move on. Being secret, and most political appointees having the good sense to not look like Nixon reincarnate, nobody outside the IRS even knows.

Besides, his newly released 2011 return proves him unfit to hold office by his own standard. He said that if he paid more than legally owed, he wasn't qualified to be President. He did pay more than he owed. Because he didn't like the optics of paying the less than 13% he would have paid had he deducted all his charitable contributions. Of course, when he loses he can go ahead and file an amended return and get that cool quarter million back from the government.

[erfalf]

Who said they didn't? The IRS catches people using abusive tax shelters every year. They pay the back taxes (without penalty thanks to their magic opinion letters) and move on. Being secret, and most political appointees having the good sense to not look like Nixon reincarnate, nobody outside the IRS even knows.

As I think everyone would agree, tax laws are extremely complicated. Even for tax professionals. It is not black and white many times. Tax "evasion" is a crime, punishable by prison based on the severaty. Mistakenly not paying the correct amount of taxes is not a crime, and if Romney was guilty of this I would lump him in with millions of others that suffer the same fate. Reason to simplify the tax code right there.

Besides, his newly released 2011 return proves him unfit to hold office by his own standard. He said that if he paid more than legally owed, he wasn't qualified to be President. He did pay more than he owed. Because he didn't like the optics of paying the less than 13% he would have paid had he deducted all his charitable contributions. Of course, when he loses he can go ahead and file an amended return and get that cool quarter million back from the government.

Fortunately for you Romney's standard only affects one vote, his. Unless he was a democrat candidate, then he could vote a couple of times. 

[nathanm]

As I think everyone would agree, tax laws are extremely complicated. Even for tax professionals. It is not black and white many times. Tax "evasion" is a crime, punishable by prison based on the severaty. Mistakenly not paying the correct amount of taxes is not a crime, and if Romney was guilty of this I would lump him in with millions of others that suffer the same fate. Reason to simplify the tax code right there.

I'm not sure what that has to do with certain people being allowed to not pay penalties for underpayment. The penalty is not for tax evasion, it is for underpayment. As you correctly state, tax evasion is a crime that must be prosecuted in a court of law, but that's got nothing to do with what I said.

[erfalf]

I'm not sure what that has to do with certain people being allowed to not pay penalties for underpayment. The penalty is not for tax evasion, it is for underpayment. As you correctly state, tax evasion is a crime that must be prosecuted in a court of law, but that's got nothing to do with what I said.

All I was saying is that intent is the key in regards to tax issues. Not that you were wrong or anything.

[nathanm]

All I was saying is that intent is the key in regards to tax issues.

Yes, with regard to a charge of evasion.

[swake]

About a week before the election I bet you will start to see adds telling us that Romney's dad started the tradition of releasing returns. That Romney himself required ten years of returns when he was interviewing VP candidates. But he doesn't think enough on the public to do the same himself.

[Conan71]

About a week before the election I bet you will start to see adds telling us that Romney's dad started the tradition of releasing returns. That Romney himself required ten years of returns when he was interviewing VP candidates. But he doesn't think enough on the public to do the same himself.

A taxer wet dream

[nathanm]

A taxer wet dream

Here's why that's an idiotic comparison: Obama released his birth certificate.

[Red Arrow]

Here's why that's an idiotic comparison: Obama released his birth certificate.

He only released an acceptable document after he was elected.

If you want to see Romney's taxes, you will have to elect him to be President first.

[Hoss]

Here's why that's an idiotic comparison: Obama released his birth certificate.

And the funny thing is, he put it out there initially (the document that nearly every Hawaiian citizen has as a birth certificate).

Also, there's the people who say it's forged.  Haven't seen a taxer version of Orly Taintz yet...ugh!

[nathanm]

He only released an acceptable document after he was elected.

Acceptable to whom? He released this in June 2008:



That looks a lot like the one that got me a driver's license. (I didn't have the original at the time) I'm sure everyone who would like to see more tax returns would be happy with the IRS transcripts.

[Hoss]

Acceptable to whom? He released this in June 2008:



That looks a lot like the one that got me a driver's license. (I didn't have the original at the time) I'm sure everyone who would like to see more tax returns would be happy with the IRS transcripts.

Yeah, last I checked, mine also said 'Certificate of Live Birth' on it.  My original was pretty ragged so I had to have a replacement...oh hell, that means I was born in Kenya!

[Red Arrow]

Acceptable to whom? He released this in June 2008:

To most of the folks who thought it was an issue.  Obama's citizenship was never an issue for me personally.

[nathanm]

Well, contrast that with what Romney has released regarding his pre-2010 returns:



See the difference?

[Conan71]

Here's why that's an idiotic comparison: Obama released his birth certificate.

Here's why it's similar: It's a pathetic obsession which has nothing to do with the performance of his duties as president if elected.

Secondly, FERC seems more than satisfied with Romney's returns and even if he supplied 20 years worth, he's still going to have Moveon.org filing spurious claims that he cheated on his taxes and that he's a felon. 

It becomes the all distracting issue from Obama's poor job performance in all the metrics by which previous administrations have been judged whether Romney releases them or not.  It's nothing more than voyeurism in class warfare so Democratic operatives can keep trying to hammer away at the idea of "Romney is nothing like you, he's uber wealthy, a 1%'er and his success has come on the back of your failure."  Or it becomes more of an issue with those obsessed with Mormon bashing because a large portion of his charitable giving is via the LDS Church.

It's lose/lose whether he releases them or not and the only people who are worried about it are people who won't vote for him in the first place, much like the birthers would never cast a vote for Obama.

There's plenty of similarities.  It's all nothing more than shiny things to get people's minds off the real issues.