Geithner, Daschle... Obama? Tax Impropriety In Prez's Past

Newly minted Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and former Heath and Human Services contender Tom Daschle aren't the only ones close to the Obama administration with tax improprieties. It seems the problem that has become a rash in the new Democratic regime includes the commander in chief as well.

Documents acquired by NewMajority indicate Barack Obama overstated his real estate tax deduction on his taxes in 2002 by $792. Though he paid the correct amount in the previous and succeeding years, his overstatement on his federal tax forms in 2002 is an anomaly.

The warrant book in Cook County, Ill., and Obama IRS forms show that the Obamas paid the exact amount of taxes on their real estate in 2001 and 2003, $3,539 and $3,672 respectively. But in 2002, the Cook County warrant book lists the amount of taxes on their Chicago home as $3,631, and their IRS forms indicate they deducted $4,424 in real estate taxes, a benefit to the Obamas of 21 percent.

The 2002 IRS form and the correlating warrant book form showing the Obamas correct property tax value can be found here. Though the name on the warrant book is different from the actual owners of the property, the Obamas, the Obamas were owners of the property at this time. This is clearly a clerical error or the Obamas did not submit the appropriate paperwork to change the name on the property from the previous owners.

The 2001 and 2003 documents show that the tax error was a one-time occurrence, but an egregious error, at that.

Whether the Obamas remedied the situation by filing an amended return is not known. But if three examples counts as a trend, Geithner plus Daschle plus Obama sure do begin to add up.

Image courtesy of realjameso16. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wbr>realjameso16/<