Cheating on Property Taxes? GOP Says Halter Should Come Clean
UPDATE: HOLT AUDIO ON HALTER'S PROPERTY TAX PROBLEMS....."Halter should do what I did and release records....if he's innocent" and "To get that exemption you must claim in writing that DC is your "permanent home"".
For Immediate Release:
Oct. 19, 2006
Contact: Clint Reed at 501 372-7301
Halter Took Senior Citizen’s Exemption on Property Tax
LITTLE ROCK— “Recently, Bill Halter accused Senator Jim Holt of cheating on his property taxes over an old van a friend gave him. Jim Holt provided complete access to all his records to the media, and proved he was innocent of the charge. Now, we have some property tax questions for Bill Halter,” said Clint Reed, the Executive Director of the Republican party of Arkansas.
“However, we are not going to accuse him of being a tax cheat in the same fashion as Mr. Halter did Senator Holt. We just want Mr. Halter to be as open as Senator Holt has been in releasing all records to the media so we can find out the truth on why Mr. Halter has taken property tax credits that he was not entitled to, including a Senior Citizen’s Credit in 2003. It also appears that Mr. Halter took a homestead exemption to which he was not entitled from 2003-2005.”
This was on a home Mr. Halter owned in Washington D.C.
“Will Bill Halter stand up to the same high standards of honesty and transparency exemplified by Senator Holt by releasing his property tax audit documents to the media, including the amount of fines he was assessed for taking deductions to which he was not entitled?” asked Reed. “The people have a right to know these things of a man who says he can take care of the people’s business.”
Reed offered to show documentation that Halter had taken the exemptions, and that revisions had been made to his exemptions as the result of an audit and while contemplating a bid for Governor and/or Lt. Governor.
UPDATE: Republican Executive Director Clint Reed has issued a statement saying, ""We simply asked for Mr. Halter to provide clarification as to this property tax issue. I feel that Mr. Halter's campaign has provided an adequate explanation." Halter's response in "comments".
For Immediate Release:
Oct. 19, 2006
Contact: Clint Reed at 501 372-7301
Halter Took Senior Citizen’s Exemption on Property Tax
LITTLE ROCK— “Recently, Bill Halter accused Senator Jim Holt of cheating on his property taxes over an old van a friend gave him. Jim Holt provided complete access to all his records to the media, and proved he was innocent of the charge. Now, we have some property tax questions for Bill Halter,” said Clint Reed, the Executive Director of the Republican party of Arkansas.
“However, we are not going to accuse him of being a tax cheat in the same fashion as Mr. Halter did Senator Holt. We just want Mr. Halter to be as open as Senator Holt has been in releasing all records to the media so we can find out the truth on why Mr. Halter has taken property tax credits that he was not entitled to, including a Senior Citizen’s Credit in 2003. It also appears that Mr. Halter took a homestead exemption to which he was not entitled from 2003-2005.”
This was on a home Mr. Halter owned in Washington D.C.
“Will Bill Halter stand up to the same high standards of honesty and transparency exemplified by Senator Holt by releasing his property tax audit documents to the media, including the amount of fines he was assessed for taking deductions to which he was not entitled?” asked Reed. “The people have a right to know these things of a man who says he can take care of the people’s business.”
Reed offered to show documentation that Halter had taken the exemptions, and that revisions had been made to his exemptions as the result of an audit and while contemplating a bid for Governor and/or Lt. Governor.
UPDATE: Republican Executive Director Clint Reed has issued a statement saying, ""We simply asked for Mr. Halter to provide clarification as to this property tax issue. I feel that Mr. Halter's campaign has provided an adequate explanation." Halter's response in "comments".
posted by Mark Moore (Moderator) at Thursday, October 19, 2006
17 Comments:
Team Halter Sends Their Response>>>>
HALTER NEWS RELEASE IN RESPONSE
Jim Holt and the Republican Party are running a desperate campaign based on manufactured and distorted sleaze that being used in an attempt to assassinate Bill Halter’s character. Only several days ago, Jim Holt was already caught lying about Bill Halter, repeatedly. Here he and the Republican Party go again.
Bill Halter has never questioned property tax payments by Jim Holt.
Bill Halter has paid all property taxes that he owes.
A current search of updated D.C. tax records indicates Bill Halter has not benefited from the Homestead Exemption. Bill Halter never took the Senior Citizens Tax credit.
Documents from the D.C. government and the ones provided by the Republican Party of Arkansas even prove this fact.
The truth is: without the knowledge or consent of many people with property in Washington, the D.C. government erroneously gave many homestead exemptions. When Bill
Halter read a story about the D.C. government making this mistake, he proactively called
and asked if they had made the same mistake with him. Once the DC government confirmed that they had given Halter the exemption without his knowledge, Bill Halter paid the taxes owed due to their mistake.
The attached documents demonstrate:
- Halter’s fiancé at the time, corresponding with the D.C. government to expeditiously correct the government’s mistake and to cancel the deduction. Halter would then pay back D.C. for the deduction they had erroneously given him. (Her fax is dated 9/9/2005 – only 4 days after the Washington Post story Halter read. It's pasted below.)
- Page 3 shows “0” for the senior tax credit.
- Page 6 shows a recent tax record (pulled 10/19/2006) indicating no Homestead Deduction having been claimed.
Below is a Washington Post article from when this mistake by the D.C. government was first reported -- after it became a political issue that ensnared Karl Rove. The D.C. government accepted responsibility for their mistake.
Rove Not Entitled to D.C. Homestead Deduction
Bush Adviser to Reimburse City for Back Taxes
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 3, 2005; Page A02
Presidential adviser Karl Rove may live in Washington. But in his heart -- and for voting purposes -- he remains a Texan. Which means he is not legally entitled to the homestead deduction and property tax cap he's been getting on his Palisades home for the past 3 1/2 years.
This week, the D.C. tax collector was alerted to the problem. And Rove agreed to reimburse the District for an estimated $3,400 in back taxes, city officials said. But now some Lone Star officials also are wondering about the place Rove calls home.
available only to District property
In a letter released yesterday by the White House, he D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue accepted blame for the error, which also has affected numerous members of Congress. The homestead exemption gives District taxpayers a substantial tax break on their primary residences. But starting in 2002, a change in the law made it available only to District property owners who do not vote elsewhere, city officials said. That made Rove, and many others, ineligible. ....
First, the Republican party can't assassinate what isn't there, i.e. Bill Halter's character. Second, I wonder who Bill Halter hired to fix the tax records to show he did nothing wrong?
Too many powerful people got caught cheating, so DC government takes the blame as long as they also get their money! You don't pay thousands of dollars of extra taxes when the government is in the wrong.
When Halter realized people were getting caught for this, he fessed up while the unofficial "amnesty" was good.
OH, NEVER MIND: Clint Reed of the state GOP manfully closes the great tax scandal: "We simply asked for Mr. Halter to provide clarification as to this property tax issue. I feel that Mr. Halter's campaign has provided an adequate explanation."
YOU FRIGGIN' HOLT JACKASS REPUBLICANS!!!!!
HA!
GET A CLUE!
What did Holt do wrong in this?
I heard Halter said they weren't living together before they married, but Shanti gave this same Halter address on her voting records for 3 years in a row. Would any of you find the documentation to disprove that?
who cares? why no nosey?
Hey 3:27, look in the mirror!! I don't believe the jackass is the mascot for the Republican party. Kind of ironic that the jackass IS the mascot for the Democratic party. though.
LOLOLOL - Holt got the smackdown on this one. Clint Reed looked stupid as well.
Clint, what were you thinking by doing anything with Jim Holt? This blew up in your face.
What was Jim Holt thinking doing anything with Clint Reed? Looks like not helping is not enough, now the party is trying to sabotage his campaign. Rumor was they were pushing him to hold a press conference on it. Good thing he didn't or it would have bit him.
Jim Holt and the GOP have egg all over their faces on this one. Looking more and more desperate.
No more egg than Halter and the Dems had over challenging Holt on his property taxes last week when there was nothing to it.
The way I understand this issue is that Jim Holt proved his point to the Dem. Party that he is doing nothing under the table by suppling his records to the public. Now you guys are taking Halter's word on doing nothing wrong. Why doesn't he supply the same information to the public and let them see that he is a snake in the grass and you can't believe a word that comes out of his mouth. I know the Democrats don't want this to happen. It would prove that Halter knew exactly what he was doing was wrong.
I agree that Holt was still more forthright than Halter. Halter never showed the audit results.
Still, the press printed the accusastion against Holt, but never printed the part where he proved himself innocent. They are quick to print it when Halter is ahem- shown innocent- however.
I think everyone is missing the point here. Bill Halter owes back taxes to Washington DC for fraudulently claiming he was an arkansas citizen when he wasn't. The law in DC is that if you live there longer than 60 days you have to get a license, register your car and pay all applicable taxes. The only way you are eligible to not do that is if you are a political appointee, member or congress, active military or so forth. Mr. Halter was a political appointee until 2001, but worked in DC in the private sector from 2001-2005. This is illegal and he should fess up and pay the back taxes he owes. He has already claimed he was registered to vote in Arkansas the whole time.
6:03, excuse me, but which party is it that has their gubernatorial candidate taking pot shots at Asa and getting very negative? Hint: it's not the Republican party. The DPA is the one that's desperate here, because they know they don't have a chance to beat either Jim Holt OR Asa.
Keep living in fantasy land. Hope the weather's nicer there.
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