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Roll Call is reporting (sub. req'd) that the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue won't impose any penalties on four members of Congress that were recently found to be illegally exploiting a tax break for D.C. homeowners. The representatives -- which include Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Tom Petri (R-Wis.) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) -- will only be charged for the back taxes they owe. D.C. officials also announced that Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) was similarly found to be exploiting the tax break, and that many of the members only gained access to the break because of a city policy of granting it to new homeowners based on the status of previous owners. The tax break, known as the homestead exemption, offers District residents a deduction on the assessed value of their D.C. home and limits annual property tax increases. In 2005 22 senators were found to be taking advantage of it, even though it is limited to District residents (which members of Congress cannot be).
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10-20" now. http://www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/20005?phenomena=WS&significance=W&area
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"because of a city policy of granting it to new homeowners based on the status of previous owners."
Well that sounds like a genius policy... who would ever have thought that making assumptions would lead to errors?!?!
That is such bs. I made an honest mistake on my dc taxes and had to pay up the wahzoo in fines and penalties. Representatives should get no different treatment.
"because of a city policy of granting it to new homeowners based on the status of previous owners."
That statement is not true it is just a way to try to cover their butts ... I purchased my condo from a long time DC resident with homestead exemption and it still took years to get my homestead exemption.
OK but the don't get to vote against DC statehood.
I think that's an excellent idea. You think you get the tax break for living here, then you get to vote as if we were actually your constituents - and no passive aggressive nonsense (a la Sen. Kyl) this time!
"they don't get to vote"
My comment editor is on the blink.
Well Hells Bells. If DC Council members don't get punished for failing to file their taxes why should someone who cheats on their homestead exemption be treated any differently? Oh, wait. Silly me .. some of us do get penalized. Never mind.
When I bought my house back in the bad old days of the Barry administration, my escrow agent made me take the homestead affidavit to the Office of Tax and Revenue myself, and he told me it had to be filed every three years. He said that if I didn't, I wouldn't get the homestead credit and it would take years to fix. Hard to imagine that system could have gotten worse under the Williams/Fenty administration, but maybe it has.