Blake Ewing businesses failed to pay $80k in taxes.

[cbs]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/tax-commission-blue-dome-district-bars-owned-by-tulsa-city/article_498e01bd-8d55-5147-809a-706171a0b727.html

[heironymouspasparagus]

Oh, Blake....say it ain't so...!

I was really enjoying having a politician I didn't have to rant and rave about....hopefully we can go back to that earlier, more innocent time very soon!

[davideinstein]

Blaming his employees? Come on. Mistakes happen, own up to them.

[Breadburner]

Lol...Been waiting on this...Heard about it a while back....He's always been shady...

[erfalf]

Blaming his employees? Come on. Mistakes happen, own up to them.

He really doesn't have much of an option, aside from just not saying anything, which may have been classier. And it really could have been a clerical error. Trust me, I have seen it. Upper management is not checking to make sure every payment is made, and only usually find out when the business starts receiving notices. Even then, the OTC isn't exactly on the ball sometimes, and it's a bit of a self reported thing so, all that added up it probably was a clerical error by someone who likely doesn't remit sales tax for a living.

[Breadburner]

He really doesn't have much of an option, aside from just not saying anything, which may have been classier. And it really could have been a clerical error. Trust me, I have seen it. Upper management is not checking to make sure every payment is made, and only usually find out when the business starts receiving notices. Even then, the OTC isn't exactly on the ball sometimes, and it's a bit of a self reported thing so, all that added up it probably was a clerical error by someone who likely doesn't remit sales tax for a living.

Lol...This is no clerical error....

[Hoss]

He really doesn't have much of an option, aside from just not saying anything, which may have been classier. And it really could have been a clerical error. Trust me, I have seen it. Upper management is not checking to make sure every payment is made, and only usually find out when the business starts receiving notices. Even then, the OTC isn't exactly on the ball sometimes, and it's a bit of a self reported thing so, all that added up it probably was a clerical error by someone who likely doesn't remit sales tax for a living.

He's had too many 'clerical errors' I think for that excuse to continue to fly during separate instances.

Don't get me wrong, I like Blake as a person, but he may have too many irons in the fire here.  Not so much anymore as I've heard he's sold some of his properties.

[erfalf]

Lol...This is no clerical error....

It was clerical (possibly) in that it was overlooked by management due to not being performed by a clerical worker. That's what happens. It's bad policies and procedures likely, which is not surprising for restaurants.

[TheArtist]

 Reading the nasty comments after the article and on Facebook it is apparent that many of them do not have small businesses of their own.

 It is tough as a small business keeping track of all the bills and taxes you have to pay.  There are SO many tax type things alone that it is tricky, I think there are about 30 tax forms we have to fill out each year, and many must be filled out multiple times each year, and a mistake can be made on any one of them, or heck one can be overlooked entirely and then you spend or invest the money thinking it is yours... I could only imagine having many businesses.

I just over paid my OTC by $1000 last month.  I am just glad it was a mistake in the "overpayment" direction versus the other way around or people if they found out about it could say bad things.  "We will see how quickly and determinedly the OTC gets us back money that is ""Not theirs to begin with"."  Ooops wait, that is not going to happen.  If I can make a $1000 mistake with my little store, I am sure bigger businesses can make bigger mistakes lol.

Employees do make mistakes and yes it is up to the owner to check on everything.  I have a long list of things I have to check on each month (the list is saved on my desk top, and then I have directions on how to do it and what I am looking for cause there is so much stuff and not all of it is something I completely understand lol)

And remember, the taxes aren't the only thing a business owner has to be keeping track of, budgeting, employee performance and payroll, I have literally hundreds of vendors and vendor payments each month, hundreds of thousands of products in my store to keep track of (whats selling, what is not, what sells when and during what part of the year, etc.) then there are many credit cards and bank statements, many vendors we have "terms" or credit with which have different times when payments are due (you may get the product in on one month and the payments start or are due several months later, try budgeting with that when you have hundreds of vendors lol it can get quite tricky), permits and insurance, then I have events we put on (getting food, ice, promoting it, decorating for it, staffed for it, planned out right etc.), homeless/trouble people (yes they take up your time often hours a day, hours that you could be doing other work, when they wander in and start looking at every single product or asking questions, or trying to as they mumble incoherently, ask to use the restroom, etc. ) the painting classes we do and preparing for those, book signings, creating our own new products (which is time consuming) making the store better in general, promotions and budgeting for that, day to day keeping the store clean and organized and keeping care of the daily sales and the cash drawer, finding new interesting products at good prices, reordering product that is sold (or not if it is not doing well but you have to determine that properly) reordering hundreds and hundreds of books sold many through the many different book companies, unpacking everything you get in and making sure all that paperwork is right and taking care of orders that are not complete, damaged, following up with that, making sure they have their numbers correct, etc, pricing it, placing it on the floor in a good way and reorganizing product so it will sell well and keep the store looking fresh, scanning in all the paperwork and invoices into the correct places, answering phone calls, general promotions including posters and ads (which I design and create) business Facebook posts which can take time if done right, twitter, histogram, making sure the website is up to date and continually improved, (keeping track of all the domains, trademarks, etc and making sure they are paid for and hosted) going through tons of business e-mails, etc. etc. etc.... etc.   etc.        etc.

And there are basically 3 of us doing all of that. While....... I work my DAY JOB (lot involved there) and work on the house, and try to keep a museum running and growing (and helping with fundraising events for that, paying the bills, doing the accounting, taxes, sales with the gift shop, employee, volunteers, etc.), Helping with the Deco District, and try to have a life and pay all of the "home" bills and taxes, mow the yard, feed and take care of the critters, family, you all know the drill lol . in there somewhere.

I can see how mistakes can happen and they get away from you really quickly if your a busy, small business owner.  Thank goodness my parter is a paperwork, organization freak Nazi lol.  

Anyway, got to go and finish loading up some scaffolding to take to the new job I am starting today, and hoping that everything goes ok at the store while I am not there!

[AquaMan]

Well said Artist. I have always felt that running a small business is tantamount to earning an MBA. Only, its more powerful because its street learning and the stakes are higher. Especially when its a business dealing with real people on a face to face basis.

Still, people give little credit to the complexity and are very willing to judge you. One of the greatest guys I remember from my time in business was a restauranteur who had a well respected business but failed to pay his state taxes. He wasn't treated as kindly as Blake. They shut him down, seized his assets in a heartbeat. He screwed up and never denied it but that business is hard to manage, cook, make payroll and on, and on. He recovered, opened another fabulous food operation in Brookside and all was fine. Till the business gave him a heart attack.

There are those who talk, and there are those who do.

[DTowner]

Red warning lights have been flashing for a while that there might be cash flow problems, from the accusations that arose from the failed grocery store on Archer to the year-long lack of post-fire rehab at Joe Mamma's to the short closure of The Phoenix last month over a tax issue.  I hope the sale of many of his entities will help Blake focus on the remaining businesses and right the ship.

[Breadburner]

Red warning lights have been flashing for a while that there might be cash flow problems, from the accusations that arose from the failed grocery store on Archer to the year-long lack of post-fire rehab at Joe Mamma's to the short closure of The Phoenix last month over a tax issue.  I hope the sale of many of his entities will help Blake focus on the remaining businesses and right the ship.

He was sued over the grocery store....It appears for taking money from that project and putting it towards his other business's....

[Breadburner]

Well said Artist. I have always felt that running a small business is tantamount to earning an MBA. Only, its more powerful because its street learning and the stakes are higher. Especially when its a business dealing with real people on a face to face basis.

Still, people give little credit to the complexity and are very willing to judge you. One of the greatest guys I remember from my time in business was a restauranteur who had a well respected business but failed to pay his state taxes. He wasn't treated as kindly as Blake. They shut him down, seized his assets in a heartbeat. He screwed up and never denied it but that business is hard to manage, cook, make payroll and on, and on. He recovered, opened another fabulous food operation in Brookside and all was fine. Till the business gave him a heart attack.

There are those who talk, and there are those who do.

And there are those who run it like the should....Those taxes are not his....You get multiple warnings before they shut you down they even work out a payment plan....This is no clerical error....It's stealing cut and dry....

[Conan71]

As CEO of a company, ultimately the responsibility falls on him to make sure the forms are filled out and taxes are paid.  His issue is only topical because he's a councilor and we do expect more out of our public officials.

I'd hate to think how many other businesses are that far in arrears to the OTC or behind on federal payroll taxes.

I'd expressed concern when he first ran for office he was spreading himself a bit thin.  Best wishes Blake on getting this all ironed out.

[RecycleMichael]

I will be slow to pass judgement on this.

I don't view Blake as a businessman, even though I was a customer of his pizza long before most of you ever met him. I now see him as a councilor, fighting fights I generally agree with.

I wish him the best.