Rep. Charlie Rangel offers annual tax tips despite ethics violations

Among the ethics violations for which the Harlem Democrat was punished by his colleagues just before Christmas was failing to pay taxes on his DominIcan villa...

TheGrio Staff

Feb 22, 2011

From NY Daily News

Rep. Charlie Rangel isn’t backing down from anything after his censure by the House last year — including offering tax advice.

Among the ethics violations for which the Harlem Democrat was punished by his colleagues just before Christmas was failing to pay taxes on his DominIcan villa. But Rangel nevertheless just emailed his latest “Rangel Report” featuring tax advice for constituents.

“On its face, Charlie Rangel giving tax advice is more than just ironic, it’s surreal,” said Baruch College politics maven Doug Muzzio.

“On the other hand, Charle Rangel knows the tax law, his constituents need tax advice and he can provide it,” Muzzio added. “It’s a service for his constituents.”

Rangel’s spokesman declined to comment on the mailing, except to note that he does it every year.

Rangel had to pay some $2 million in legal fees to fight the ethics charges against him, and was forced to give up his chairmanship of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

In the tax case, he failed to declare income from his Dominican villa, and had to pay about $10, 000 in penalties and back taxes.