Alaska to review per diem payments to Palin

[sabra]

Source: AP

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska's top finance officer will review payments made to Gov. Sarah Palin for nights she charged the state for staying in her own home.

Finance Director Kim Garnero said she must determine whether the payments made to Palin in the future should be considered income.

Garnero said, "That's something we need to confer with the governor's office on."

Palin has received more than $17,000 in per diem payments since taking office in December 2006 for 312 nights she stayed in her Wasilla home about an hour's drive from Anchorage. The state provides a home for the governor in Juneau.

Garnero said her review would look at future payments, not those already made.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gp77q25DPCEibEdOBHWiKkz5EVWQD93LSROO2

[maddezmom]

1. guess she's really not a fan of taxes

:D K&R

[maddezmom]

8. Experts: Palin Owes $25,000 In Back Taxes

Several tax experts said they believe Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin is required to pay federal taxes on $25,000 in reimbursements from the state of Alaska for her children's travel expenses.

The Alaska governor released her 2006 and 2007 tax returns on Friday, sparking a lively debate on tax blogs and among tax professionals over whether reimbursements and per-diem meal payments from the state should be subject to federal taxes. Since taking office in December 2006, Gov. Palin, whose state salary is $125,000 a year, received reimbursements totaling $43,500 for travel and lodging for her family in connection with state business. Of that total, $25,000 was for her children's travel and the rest was for her husband, Todd, the Washington Post reported.

While several tax experts have raised serious questions about whether the payments to Gov. Palin are taxable income, they said the case was clearer cut for treating the reimbursements for the children's expenses as taxable income. "The kids are a slam dunk problem," said Robert Spierer, a partner with the accounting firm Perelson Weiner LLP in New York City. "The husband you could make an argument that he had to be there because it was required for spouses to be there."

more:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/07/experts-palin-owes-25000_n_132538.html

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. I remember a Councilman was jailed for a similar sort of violation

he was supposed to be staying at a hotel but he was staying with friends and claimed the fictitious hotel bill.

[trthnd4jstc]

3. She's A Maverick. You Can Take Money As Per Diem When You Are A Maverick. n/t

[K8-EEE]

4. I thought "per diems" were for when you were NOT at home....

I don't get that!! I always thought the point of them were for like, for business trips to cover expenses when you weren't home.

[karynnj]

6. The reason was she got them when she was not in the Governor's mansion

in Juneau. She opted to spend 331 days in her own house in Wasilla and work out of Anchorage, an hour away rather than live in the Governor's mansion in Juneau. As there was no official business she was attending to in Wasilla and it was her choice to be there, taking these per diems at least looks wrong. (Knowles, the last Democratic Governor did not allow his cabinet to get per diems when home, but her corrupt Republican predecessor did - which was there excuse.

[EFerrari]

5. So, how many investigations for abuse of power is she involved in?

[SpiralHawk]

7. Typical republicon, screwing the public for personal gain

Ptooey on corrupt republicons.

[williesgirl]

9. Just another Repuke criminal living of the public tit. rec'd

[Zhade]

10. Good.

NT!

[daleo]

11. Her home is her home away from home

Something like that.

[yellowcanine]

12. But she can field dress a moose. Doesn't that count for anything?

If they would pay everyone who can field dress a moose a per diem that would fix it right? Just tell the IRS it is a merit scholarship for being able to field dress a moose.