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White House press aide = tax delinquent!

September 17, 2008

Danaperino_2
Dana Perino is Dubya’s chief press officer. She also apparently was, until just recently, a property tax scofflaw.

The Sleuth, the Washington Post’s blog that lurks in the back halls of Washington, D.C., political hot spots, reports that Perino’s home in the southeastern portion of the National Capital had been scheduled to be "sold at public auction to the highest bidder" today.

However, The Sleuth says that Perino told the blog that the delinquent property tax bill has been paid in full and the press secretary doesn’t have to worry about finding a new place for her stuff, at least until the White House changes hands in January.

When the District of Columbia’s Office of Tax and Revenue published a list last month of residents who had not paid their property taxes and risked foreclosure, there was Perino’s name. The overdue amount: $1,921.86.

Wow! When the hubby and I lived in D.C., the row house we rented was in the Southeast sector, just off Capitol Hill. That used to be a pricey area. So  judging from what rents, and presumably property taxes, were in that neighborhood back then, Perino’s property tax levy must be:

  • A partial bill,
  • A bill for a really small house, or
  • A clear indicator of just how big a hit D.C. home values have taken during the housing downturn.

Check out The Sleuth for the rest of the story on how the tax bill was overlooked (Hint: It was someone else’s fault. Isn’t it always?) and some other juicy unpaid tax tidbits.

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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