What do Nathan Deal’s tax returns say about the man?
From the Associated Press:
Republican gubernatorial nominee Nathan Deal late Thursday released cover pages for 28 years of personal income tax returns, spanning his time in elected office.
But he declined to make public filings for his Gainesville auto salvage business that became the focus of a congressional ethics probe. And tax “schedules” — that would provide more details on things like capital gains and rental income — were not included in the documents the Deal campaign posted online Thursday night.
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson declined to explain why.
“With these tax forms, combined with 18 years of financial disclosures, Nathan Deal provided a full financial picture as it relates to Nathan Deal,” Robinson said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
The cover pages show Deal and his wife, Sandra, earned $229,123 in 2009. They paid $36,087 in taxes for that year and received a refund of $10,688.
Tax returns have emerged as an issue as the race to become Georgia’s next governor heats up.
Deal’s Democratic rival Roy Barnes has been pressuring the former congressman to take the wraps off his taxes for several weeks. Barnes — who in May made public 25 years of his tax returns — has hammered Deal with television ads, suggesting Deal’s refusal to let the public look at his taxes meant he had something to hide.
“I’m not going to let Mr. Barnes dictate how I run my campaign,” Deal fired back at a campaign forum over the weekend.
The Barnes campaign argued on Thursday that Deal was still not providing a full look at his finances and was making “a mockery of transparency.”
“By releasing only the cover pages of his returns Rep. Deal is hiding more than he’s disclosed,” Barnes spokesman Emil Runge said.
Deal faced questions about his taxes as part of a congressional ethics probe.
A report released earlier this year by the Office of Congressional Ethics alleged Deal reported $75,000 in wages from his Gainesville auto salvage company on his 2008 tax return, while reporting the same amount as dividend income on his financial disclosure filed with the U.S. House.
If the amount had been reported as wages on his congressional disclosure, Deal would have been in violation of a congressional cap on outside income. The cap in 2008 was $25,830 beyond a representative’s annual salary of $174,000.
Deal resigned from Congress in March before the Office of Congressional Ethics issued its findings and before the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct decided whether to take up the matter. Deal was never fined or charged. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Classifying the money as earned income was a mistake made by Deal’s accountants on the tax forms, Robinson said. He said the mistake covered returns filed for 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The tax forms posted online for those years on Thursday are the amended returns, Robinson said. The original returns were not provided.
The cover pages show that Deal’s income has climbed steadily over the years. In 1981, the Deals reported $44,519 in income.
Deal listed his net worth at $2 million on a disclosure he filed earlier this year to run for governor.
Deal was elected to the state Senate in 1980 and served there until his election to the U.S. House in 1992.
The practice of providing tax returns has become common in recent gubernatorial campaigns. Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue and his Democratic challenger, then-Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, offered them up for inspection in 2006.
Ladies and gentlemen, the hour is late and the Labor Day weekend is approaching. Let’s attempt an experiment in group journalism. Here’s the link to Deal’s tax returns.
You accountants and bookkeepers out there — take a gander and tell us what you think. What do they tell us about Nathan Deal?
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46 comments Add your comment
wesleywhatwhat
September 2nd, 2010
7:13 pm
deal won’t be getting my family’s votes anytime soon…
Truth Speaker
September 2nd, 2010
7:41 pm
So deal only paid a tax rate of 16%?
Frank
September 2nd, 2010
7:45 pm
16% tax rate?
dagny
September 2nd, 2010
7:50 pm
I want his accountant!
Don't get the appeal
September 2nd, 2010
7:52 pm
I just don’t know how someone can look at this guy and be so caught up in their zeal to to be conservative that they can overlook what is obviously a crooked politician on the make. He is EXACTLY what this state does not need.
dagny
September 2nd, 2010
7:57 pm
I am a conservative. Deal is a politician and a crooked one at that. I will not vote for him!
Best for Georgia
September 2nd, 2010
8:00 pm
Incomplete disclosure is not REAL disclosure. Withholding his business returns when that is the focus of his ethics probe is mere window-dressing. There is no excuse for withholding this information when Mr. Deal’s business may be the reason he could get indicted in the middle of the election or, God forbid, after he takes office.
Kayla Krall
September 2nd, 2010
8:21 pm
He wouldnt be getting mine either…
John
September 2nd, 2010
8:38 pm
It looks like spouse “Emile” in 1994 became spouse “Sandra” in 1995. Doesn’t look like strong family values here now does it?
Truth Speaker
September 2nd, 2010
8:46 pm
Deal is a P.O.S. Plain and simple.
That being said, be prepared for thousands of ignorant, brain-washed GlennBeckistanian’s to vote for him because he is “conservative.”
jekyllover
September 2nd, 2010
8:47 pm
Deal is not the best we can do in Georgia. Despite being a conservative, I will not vote for him. Barnes has to be a better choice this election cycle.
Just Peachy
September 2nd, 2010
8:53 pm
Truth Speaker you are so very, very wrong. I’m conservative, I don’t like I LOVE Glen Beck but I won’t be voting Deal. Quit insulting conservatives the GA GOP is so wrong with this candidate you may actually have a chance of getting some conservativies voting in another direction but insulting us won’t help in your efforts.
whiterabbit
September 2nd, 2010
8:54 pm
Deal is an ignorant lying backwoods hillbillie playing to the uneducated in our state. if gets elected he will make us all look like idiots and discourage business coming to our state.
I am also a business owner and would normally vote Replican but Deal is an embarrasment and I think Barnes will do a better job on this occasion.
Question Man
September 2nd, 2010
8:54 pm
What is his reason for not releasing his business tax returns and isn’t he the principal shareholder? Also, why is there no disclosure of the schedules for the personal tax filings?
Janice
September 2nd, 2010
8:59 pm
I agree with some of the above comments that Nathan Deal will be a disaster for our states image in the business community and discourage corporate relocations. He will be a terrible representative for GA and a public relations disaster.
How could the GOP have let this liability be their choice?
dagny
September 2nd, 2010
9:18 pm
The Hall county mafia AKA the GOP had 4 time loser Lee hawkins stay in the 9th district run off to get more people to vote. That lead to Deal’s narrow win.
David Staples
September 2nd, 2010
9:19 pm
There is still an option for all the conservatives out there that can’t stand Deal – Libertarian John Monds. The AJC still doesn’t have him included in their coverage on the main page, but he’ll be on the ballot. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter and his website is http://www.VoteMonds.com
Frank
September 2nd, 2010
9:42 pm
Check out his 2006 returns. Deal paid $5k in taxes on $188K in income. ?!?!
Stephanie W
September 2nd, 2010
10:31 pm
This “full financial picture” makes Deal look more like he’s hiding some things, instead of making the picture clear. I trust the man even less today than I did yesterday.
Get Over Yourself Jim
September 2nd, 2010
10:48 pm
Jim, keep on crying. I would too if I were you. Roy Barnes just wasted so much money on now obsolete advertising and you know it. You are a bleeding heart supporter of a liberal party that is quickly fading into nothing. You have a president who has enraged the whole country and cares only about himself. The only gubernatorial candidate you can find in Georgia is a retread whose time in office was a disaster. The fact that Roy Barnes is your party’s nominee speaks volumes to the bleak present and future of the democratic party. The only thing your party has left is this newspaper, which itself is hanging on by a thread.
The Scott Papers, 'Beyond The Rhetoric'
September 3rd, 2010
4:03 am
In looking at both candidate’s returns for 2009, Deal’s Total Income (Line 22) was $229,123, Barnes’ was $5,098,639. Deal’s Taxable Income (Line 43) was $124,383, Barnes’ was $4,507,974. Deal’s Federal Income Tax (Line 60) was $25,399 and Barnes’ was $1,227,996.
According to Barnes’ and Deal’s State of Georgia Financial Disclosure Statements, filed with the State Ethics Commission, Barnes’ net worth is in excess of $16.6 million and Deal’s net worth is $2.0 million.
The interesting discovery I came across tonight, was Barnes partnership in Croy Engineering. Croy earned close to $20 million from Georgia County and Local Governments. Complete article at http://thescottpapers.wordpress.com/
dagny
September 3rd, 2010
6:19 am
Deal paid $36k in taxes in 2009 yet got $10k back from federal and $5k back from the state! No wonder he doesn’t think there is a tax problem!
Ga Values
September 3rd, 2010
6:42 am
Corrupt Washington Politician.. Raw Deal.. Hiding the truth as usual. All he knows how to do is lie. Good thing we have a NONE OF THE ABOVE.. John Monds.
Noo Corrupt Deal. Nooooo King Roy
September 3rd, 2010
6:45 am
Corrupt Washington Politician… Raw Deal
Failed Governor………….King Roy Barnes
None Of The Above………………….John Monds
I’ll be voting NONE OF THE ABOVE
Mad Dog
September 3rd, 2010
7:04 am
Nathan Deal must think Georgians are too stupid to know that the schedules are where the real info is and too gullible to ask for more detail. WHAT A CHUMP.
TRUTH
September 3rd, 2010
7:41 am
Deal faced questions about his taxes as part of a congressional ethics probe.
A report released earlier this year by the Office of Congressional Ethics alleged Deal reported $75,000 in wages from his Gainesville auto salvage company on his 2008 tax return, while reporting the same amount as dividend income on his financial disclosure filed with the U.S. House.
If the amount had been reported as wages on his congressional disclosure, Deal would have been in violation of a congressional cap on outside income. The cap in 2008 was $25,830 beyond a representative’s annual salary of $174,000.
ANGRY AS HELL
September 3rd, 2010
8:07 am
@ Get Over Yourself Jim —And the only thing you’ve got is a candidate who has illegally enriched himself at the public’s expense. If this what you and other conservatives view as “moral leadership,” then y’all are just as crooked as Deal is.
Grumpy
September 3rd, 2010
8:11 am
CPA here – the first 2 pages of Form 1040 tell us nothing. It’s not a full financial disclosure. Not even close. If he truly has nothing to hide, the rest of the schedules would be released and he would also release the business tax returns that flowed through to his Schedule E.
Decatur Bubber
September 3rd, 2010
8:18 am
So what do the Republican yahoos say now — “Vote for the crook, it’s important?” a la Edwin Edwards vs. David Duke….?
deegee
September 3rd, 2010
8:57 am
You can believe him when he says that he is in favor of lowering taxes.
Your morning jolt: Are the fortunes of Democrats Roy Barnes and Ken Hodges tied together? | Political Insider
September 3rd, 2010
9:31 am
[...] last night, the Insider called on insomniac bookkeepers, accountants and numerologists to take a peek at Deal’s paperwork. A few pitched [...]
Republicans for Roy Barnes
September 3rd, 2010
9:32 am
Deal is a crook and I am voting for Barnes
Jimmie
September 3rd, 2010
9:59 am
Man, suing small business people and doctors is a mighty good business – no wonder former Governor Barnes could afford to place a marble seal of the State of Georgia in his massive home’s foyer. Bet all the folks he sued to get that money probably can’t afford to put one of those in their foyers. Bet all the folks who lost jobs when their employers got sued by Barnes and his trial lawyer buddies can’t even afford a foyer. Bet the clients Barnes represented probably can’t either. Life is good as a plaintiff’s lawyer – fighting for justice, at a rate of 40% of the take every time! One of the reasons this country is in the horrible shape it is in is rapacious trial lawyers and rapacious politicians. In former Governor Barnes, if elected, we get both. He has taken money out of the private sector as a trial lawyer and as a politician, and now he wants to do it on a bigger scale with all of the promises he has made – simple fact is, the money isn’t there and we can’t print money like the feds – so what does it mean – either Governor Barnes is not telling the truth with all these promises, or he is going to screw the private, productive sector one more time in the form of new and higher taxes. Now, isn’t that grand?
Alabama Communist
September 3rd, 2010
2:17 pm
Sounds like the old ” Peter stealing from Paul” and Nathan stealing from Roy scam!
ga female
September 3rd, 2010
7:45 pm
Wow in 2006, Deal only paid 2.6% of his income in Taxes, now you talk about the deadbeat welfare queens and kings. Nathan and the current spouse Sandra would count as your Definition of entilement king and queen. They also soaked the Tax payers for Health Care remember he was in Congress and had access to not only the Federal Employee Plan, but the House of Represenative’s Doctor which is a perk reserved for members of Congress. Free Care at Bethesda Medical Center. A Hefty Federal Retirement Plan, which he is surely now drawing on for his years of service in the US House of Representives. US House Members get extra years added and earn benefits faster than regular federal employeees. So Nathan is surely drawing is Federal Retirement pay. He also had Free Flights back and forth from DC to Georgia, and where ever else he desired to go, during his years in congress. He had congressional staff in Georgia and Washington. He had franking priviladges ( mailing) to send out information up dates to his district. He had Free parking at Ronald Regan National Airport in Washington, DC. These are just a few of the benefits he enjoyed while only paying 2.6% tax rate on $188,000 in 2006.
Lets not forget Nathan Deal was elected to the US House as a DEMOCRAT. He was just like Sonny Purdue. A Flip Flopper when their district changed.
professional skeptic
September 3rd, 2010
11:21 pm
Incomplete disclosure is insufficient. To me, this says he doesn’t want us to see the details of all his wheeling, dealing and stealing he’s been up to all these years while he’s supposed to have been working as a public servant for the people of Georgia.
No way, no how, NO DEAL.
Lola
September 4th, 2010
2:11 am
Notice he STILL didn’t release his records on his business which is involved in the Ethics Allegations! He will NOT get any of my votes either. WE THE PEOPLE are not going back, we are moving FORWARD! He’s a relic from the Bush corruption….In the words of Ludacris: MOVE B*** get out the way! FULL SUPPORT ROY BARNES!
Uno
September 4th, 2010
8:48 pm
Looks like a crook, discloses tax returns like a crook, must be a crook!
Truth Speaker
September 4th, 2010
9:11 pm
I will keep insulting the GA GOP because they have a candidate like Deal. He is the state representative for the GA GOP. Take it or leave it, but that is the truth.
Ole Guy
September 5th, 2010
12:27 am
Anyone who, throughout the year, fails to plan and monitor his personal finances to the point of overpaying taxes to the tune of $10,000 is, in my humble opinion, not very smart with his own money. Why should we expect his performance in the public interest to be any better than that of his personal finances?
Never mind the political issues, his tax history reflects one completely devoid of the most basic tenets of financial management…NEVER SQUANDER YOUR RESOURCES, PERSONAL OR PUBLIC!
Jayne M. Barker
September 5th, 2010
10:34 am
If your hands are really clean, show us the real thing….all if it!!!
Jayne M. Barker
September 5th, 2010
10:35 am
oops “of”
Backroom Deal
September 6th, 2010
1:04 am
Somebody is hiding something.
Jim Kucera
September 10th, 2010
1:28 pm
His 2009 Federal 1040, Line 10, “Taxable Refunds”, was blank. When I tried to look at his 2008 return to see if he did have a GA State refund, the document was completely blank. Is this just a problem with my computer or is the 2008 return missing? If you can view the 2008 return, was there a GA State refund in 2008 that should have been reported as income on his 2009 Federal 1040?
CPA
September 15th, 2010
11:32 am
The tax return links aren’t working. How bright could Handel be, if she couldn’t have stopped her opponent with the information that hit today?
Clive
September 15th, 2010
3:42 pm
Lets be honest here our state has gone backwards since bumbling Purdue took office. The GOP have run this state like crap for years and we need a change. All Purdue has done is taken all our tax money and given it to his backers in the concrete/road industry while making us look like idiots with his praying for rain antics. Don’t forget this is the same man who used to get drunk at Johnnys Hideaway chasing skirt and is suddenly now reformed and a man of god……………..
Deal however makes Purdue look like a genius as he can’t even hide his true colors before he is elected. He will be Purdue only worse and drive our state into a depression.
Deal is a backward lying snake who has the balls to call himself a man of god while cheating his fellow man whenever the opportunity arises.