Congress rivals got behind on taxes

They're politicians who want you to put them in charge of the multitrillion-dollar federal budget. You'd think they would at least pay their own taxes on time.

But no -- both state Sen. Dina Titus, the Democratic candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, and the Republican she's challenging, Rep. Jon Porter, have a history of falling behind on tax payments, according to official records.

Titus has the more recent slip. She paid penalties for late property taxes in each of the last three years -- 2006, 2007 and 2008 -- as well as 2000 and 2001, according to property tax payment statements from the Clark County treasurer's office. Each penalty amounted to about $20 and was paid, along with the tax bill.

Porter's campaign says the late payments show she has a "double standard" for herself and members of the public, whom Porter says Titus has voted too often to tax.

"It's significant that she's consistently voted to raise taxes on Nevada families while she fails to pay her own taxes on time," Porter spokesman Matt Leffingwell said. "If she's going to raise taxes in Nevada, she should lead by example."

Besides disputing the characterization of Titus as tax-happy, her campaign calls the missed payments oversights that were swiftly corrected.

And Porter, Titus' campaign notes, may not want to be so quick to condemn tax delinquents. He was threatened with an IRS lien back in 1987 for falling more than a year behind on his own taxes.

"If full payment is not received within ten days from the date of this notice, we will begin enforcement proceedings," states a letter to Porter, at his former home in Boulder City, from the IRS, dated Oct. 5, 1987. The letter, labeled "Final Notice (Notice of Intention to Levy)," refers to taxes due for the 1985 tax year.

With penalties and interest, Porter owed $3,596.80, according to the letter.

That may seem like ancient history, but Titus campaign spokesman Andrew Stoddard said it is relevant because Porter has drawn on his experience from that time period, when he was a Boulder City councilman, in political ads. Porter also has cited Titus' votes on legislative bills from as far back as 1989 in ads against her.

Stoddard said if Porter is going to call Titus out on late tax payments, he should have to answer for his own issues in that regard.

"If he thinks this is an issue voters need to know about, then voters deserve to know he has his own issue," Stoddard said.

In addition, Porter appears to have been buying investment properties at the same time as he was failing to settle up with the feds.

In a motion in his divorce case with his first wife in 1988, Porter argued that he could not afford to pay more in child support because he "purchased about two years ago six condominiums at Evergreen Village in Boulder City." His parents loaned him the money for the down payment, the filing states.

"Dina missed a couple of payments, and she paid them in full as soon as she found out they were late," Stoddard said. "Jon Porter, on the other hand, did not pay taxes for two years, to the point where he got a letter from the IRS, while he was spending money to buy six properties."

As for whether that fact should affect voters' judgment of Porter, Stoddard said, "I would let voters make that determination. These are the facts."

Porter said he was late on his taxes because of the divorce. The documents he needed to file the tax return were being mailed to the house they had shared, he said; he was no longer living there, and his ex-wife wasn't giving the documents to him.

As soon as he had the necessary information, he said, he rectified the situation and paid everything he owed.

As for the condos, which he still owns as rental properties, Porter said he didn't have the money to buy them at that time; his parents gave him a loan to help him start a new business venture. "I borrowed the money from my mom and dad," he said. "It was after the divorce and I was starting a new life."

Porter's spokesman, Leffingwell, argued that while Porter's tax situation was "an isolated incident," Titus demonstrated "an irresponsible pattern" in repeatedly missing payments.

A political expert said this type of tit for tat between candidates over relatively trivial issues is unlikely to sway many voters.

"They'll do anything to avoid talking about the issues," quipped David Damore, a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a position Titus also holds.

"It's the nature of the game these days: It's so much easier to give people a reason not to vote for someone else than to put yourself out there," he said. "We see that in the presidential election as well. You use these little things to create a negative perception of hypocrisy and so forth" about an opponent.

Though it's possible some would see tax infractions as instances of politicians putting themselves above the rules they expect others to follow, Damore said most people have probably missed a payment themselves at some point.

"It's petty," he said.

Contact reporter Molly Ball at mball@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.