Opinion: In Wednesday’s Letters to the editor
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Wednesday’s Letters to the editor has taxes on the mind.
Edwin Gauld, of Los Angeles, doesn’t share the editorial board’s willingness to give Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy F. Geithner the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his tax errors:
The Times says that the complex rules that trip up financial sophisticates such as Geithner are a minefield for the honest. Hogwash! He of all people should be aware of the tax rules. Also, he has at his disposal tax experts. Granted, the tax code is complicated. But the tax laws Geithner apparently overlooked have been around for a while and are not that complicated, particularly with respect to payroll taxes.
Kirk Stark, a taxation law professor at UCLA, explains why complexity and fairness in the tax code go hand-in-hand. And three letter writers sound off on California Controller John Chiang’s announcement last Friday that the state may offer IOUs instead of tax refunds this year. Muses Steve Shaevel, of Woodland Hills:
Can I charge the state of California penalties for its late payment of my tax refund? My family also has budget problems, so I would like to suspend all state tax payments at this time and offer an IOU that is free of interest and penalties. When my wife and I decide how to solve our budget problem, I would be happy to send what we owe in taxes.
Sheriff Mike Carona’s ‘miracle,’ Dianne Feinstein, and a tragedy in Gaza, too.
Timothy Geithner, President Obama’s nominee for secretary of the Treasury, in a Nov. 24 file photo by Charles Dharapak/AP Photo.