Jan 14, 2008 - By David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall Yahoo News from McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — The nomination of Timothy Geithner to head the Treasury Department became a political tug of war Wednesday, with a top Senate Democrat saying that his confirmation is certain while a top Senate Republican said it wasn't.
The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday delayed a hearing on Geithner's nomination until next week, instead of Friday as initially planned. He's under fire for making numerous mistakes in his tax filings over the past decade and the lapsed legal immigration status of one of his household employees.
The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday delayed a hearing on Geithner's nomination until next week, instead of Friday as initially planned. He's under fire for making numerous mistakes in his tax filings over the past decade and the lapsed legal immigration status of one of his household employees.
In one indicator of potentially volatile public response, readers displayed similar anger on the McClatchy Washington Bureau's Web site about Geithner's failure to pay Social Security taxes during a period of self-employment. That failure has dominated the headlines, but documents published by the Senate panel show that Geithner made numerous other tax errors — some of them very basic — over the past decade.
"If he honestly didn't know that he had to pay the self-employment tax, then he is far too stupid to be in any job connected with public finances. If he did know, then he is a tax cheat. Either way, he is out, end of discussion," one angry reader wrote.
Another wrote: "Anyone who has ever been self-employed, knows very well the tax routine — this is a no-brainer. This is the guy who is going to be secretary of the treasury? I don't buy the innocent mistake defense."
The Competitive Enterprise Institute , a policy research group in Washington that opposes federal regulation of business and advocates small government, issued a statement against Geithner on Wednesday.
"To have him leading the department that manages the IRS would be a slap in the face to the millions of self-employed Americans who fulfill their responsibilities to correctly assess their tax burdens," wrote John Berlau , the director of the institute's Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs .
Public anger, or lack thereof, may determine whether Geithner wins the post. See full story here...
"If he honestly didn't know that he had to pay the self-employment tax, then he is far too stupid to be in any job connected with public finances. If he did know, then he is a tax cheat. Either way, he is out, end of discussion," one angry reader wrote.
Another wrote: "Anyone who has ever been self-employed, knows very well the tax routine — this is a no-brainer. This is the guy who is going to be secretary of the treasury? I don't buy the innocent mistake defense."
The Competitive Enterprise Institute , a policy research group in Washington that opposes federal regulation of business and advocates small government, issued a statement against Geithner on Wednesday.
"To have him leading the department that manages the IRS would be a slap in the face to the millions of self-employed Americans who fulfill their responsibilities to correctly assess their tax burdens," wrote John Berlau , the director of the institute's Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs .
Public anger, or lack thereof, may determine whether Geithner wins the post. See full story here...
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