Cheyenne, WY – 12/30/15. Buried in the highway spending bill just signed into law on December 4 by President Obama is this provision:
“If the Secretary [of the United States Department of Transportation] receives certification by the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service that an individual has a seriously delinquent tax debt, the Secretary shall transmit such certification to the Secretary of State for action with respect to denial, revocation or limitation of a passport.”
The new law clarifies just what “seriously delinquent” means:
“For purposes of this section, the term “seriously delinquent tax debt” means an unpaid, legally enforceable Federal tax liability of an individual … which has been assessed … [and] which is greater than $50,000.”
This provision, appearing on page 420 of the 490-page bill, merited top billing at the Wall Street Journal’s “Weekend Investor” in November, in anticipation that the bill would pass. It warned that investors and travelers needed to make sure they were current on their taxes or they could be barred either from traveling abroad, or from returning, if they owed more than $50,000 in taxes.
The article said nothing about Al Sharpton. But if the President of the United States did not read the Bill carefully, he is probably sorry he didn’t.
Now the word is out. The media is speculating that the real reason behind Sharpton’s sudden cancellation of his trip to South America in January had to do with the fact that he owes the IRS and the State of New York an estimated $3.7 million in back taxes and interest. They speculated further that unless he or his various businesses pony up the amount owed, Sharpton will just have to stay home.
myturntosoundoff 