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Do The Democrats Have Another Tax Evader?
By Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin
U.S. Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark, D-Calif., the No. 2 man on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee, responsible for writing the tax code, could be the latest in a list of prominent Democrats in Washington with tax problems.
According to a Bloomberg News report, he has allegedly been taking advantage of a tax break on a Maryland home he claims as his principal residence. Homeowners in Maryland qualify for a tax credit for residences they use “for the legal purposes of voting, obtaining a driver’s license, and filing income tax returns,” according to the Maryland Assessment Procedures Manual.
Maryland state officials are investigating his eligibility, according to Bloomberg.
Joseph Glorioso, the Maryland supervisor of assessments for Anne Arundel County, said he would investigate Mr. Stark’s eligibility for the tax break after being told of comments allegedly made by the congressman.
“It doesn’t sound like he should get the credit,” Mr. Glorioso said. “Now that you’ve brought it up, I have to make an inquiry.”
Mr. Stark, in a telephone interview last week said, “Insofar as I know, I’m obeying the law.”
He said he stays in the Maryland home about two-thirds of the year.
He confirmed he and his wife, Deborah, are registered to vote in California’s 13th Congressional District, using the address of her parents in San Lorenzo, about 25 miles southeast of San Francisco.
Mr. Stark also said both he and his wife have California driver’s licenses, and he rents an apartment in his district where he stays when he is there.
He is not alone among politicians who have claimed the tax credit. Last week, The Associated Press reported that U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., was declared ineligible by Maryland officials for the tax break he has been receiving for a home he owns in Montgomery County, Md., a Washington suburb.
Another Democratic congressman, Robert Wexler, likewise resides in Montgomery County, Md., even though he represents Palm Beach, Fla. in Congress.
Last July, Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly reported Mr. Wexler has lived in Montgomery County since the late 1990s and lists it as his primary residence. His Florida address is a senior residence in Delray Beach, owned by his in-laws. The residence restricts teenagers from living there for more than two months each year. Mr. Wexler has three teenagers. A state official said her office is reviewing the eligibility of other Members of Congress who own property in Montgomery County and claim the credit.
Mr. Stark is well known for his plans for socialized medicine, big-government advocacy and his ridicule of “wealthy Republicans,” who he claims do not like to pay taxes.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
According to a Bloomberg News report, he has allegedly been taking advantage of a tax break on a Maryland home he claims as his principal residence. Homeowners in Maryland qualify for a tax credit for residences they use “for the legal purposes of voting, obtaining a driver’s license, and filing income tax returns,” according to the Maryland Assessment Procedures Manual.
Maryland state officials are investigating his eligibility, according to Bloomberg.
Joseph Glorioso, the Maryland supervisor of assessments for Anne Arundel County, said he would investigate Mr. Stark’s eligibility for the tax break after being told of comments allegedly made by the congressman.
“It doesn’t sound like he should get the credit,” Mr. Glorioso said. “Now that you’ve brought it up, I have to make an inquiry.”
Mr. Stark, in a telephone interview last week said, “Insofar as I know, I’m obeying the law.”
He said he stays in the Maryland home about two-thirds of the year.
He confirmed he and his wife, Deborah, are registered to vote in California’s 13th Congressional District, using the address of her parents in San Lorenzo, about 25 miles southeast of San Francisco.
Mr. Stark also said both he and his wife have California driver’s licenses, and he rents an apartment in his district where he stays when he is there.
He is not alone among politicians who have claimed the tax credit. Last week, The Associated Press reported that U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., was declared ineligible by Maryland officials for the tax break he has been receiving for a home he owns in Montgomery County, Md., a Washington suburb.
Another Democratic congressman, Robert Wexler, likewise resides in Montgomery County, Md., even though he represents Palm Beach, Fla. in Congress.
Last July, Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly reported Mr. Wexler has lived in Montgomery County since the late 1990s and lists it as his primary residence. His Florida address is a senior residence in Delray Beach, owned by his in-laws. The residence restricts teenagers from living there for more than two months each year. Mr. Wexler has three teenagers. A state official said her office is reviewing the eligibility of other Members of Congress who own property in Montgomery County and claim the credit.
Mr. Stark is well known for his plans for socialized medicine, big-government advocacy and his ridicule of “wealthy Republicans,” who he claims do not like to pay taxes.
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
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