Posted by
grad_1986 on Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:49:20 AM
Well today I just picked up my 2008 TurboTax Premier software ($78 at Circuit City) and so this blog could not be more fitting or timely.
By now we are all familiar with Timothy Geithner's problems with doing his own taxes. Apparently they are SO complex that he "accidentally made some errors" and "forgot" to pay some taxes for those working for him. Now if this person were simply being nominated to be head of HUD or Department of Education, I might be willing to cut him some slack. But this guy is being put in charge of the Dept. of Treasury (which also includes none other than the IRS). How does a guy who can't do his own taxes pass the smell-test for being head of the IRS is beyond me. What message does that send the millions of HONEST taxpayers in the U.S. ? I can just hear them now when they sign their 1040, "If its good enough for Timothy its good enough for me!" If I were trying to do these things I would get jail time, but Geithner gets a top job at the IRS.
Now I know this guy is supposed to be some sort of wiz-kid on financial matters, but his own 1040 is not showing an IQ above 90 here. Even more astonishing is how congress is closing their eyes to this. If this were a Bush nomination there would be hell to pay and the evening news would have a field day. But, because its an Obama nomination, well that's a horse of a different color! Can't we find someone with more honesty and integrity? We've already been ripped off by Wall Street this year mulitple times and with friend like Geithner, who needs enemies? The taxpayers deserve to have someone they can trust.
If Geithner does get accepted, all I can say is this: Maybe we can finally make a case for simplifying the tax code. After all, if the head of the U.S. Treasury can't do it (with an accountant to boot), then what hope does the average taxpayer have.