Whatever his legal exposure, the tax problems present a political embarrassment for Mr. Rangel, a Harlem Democrat who has sat on the Ways and Means Committee since 1975. As chairman, Mr. Rangel has pushed for higher taxes on the wealthy, unveiling a $1.3 trillion proposal last year that businesses denounced as a threat to the economy. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala - via Columbia Journalism Review
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Excellent job of providing facts. While the reporter gives us the facts, it dos seem a tempest in a teapot. Given the campaign finance legal bribery "customary" among US politicians why this particular contretemp deserves major story space in the NY Times is a big question.
What NewsTrust viewers need to know is that the NYT has covered Charles Rangel aggressively (and fairly) concerning apparent shortcuts that he allows himself, such as leasing four rent-stabilized luxury apartments for less than $1000 a piece ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/nyregion/11rangel.html?pagewanted=1&sq=Rangel%20villa&st=cse&scp=11 ). This report is in keeping with that coverage. It is factual and addresses key questions, but the loose writing makes the reader work for those answers. Does the NYT copydesk still employ veterans there or has it downsized them, too? Cases in point: The lead uses "Representative" Charles B. Rangel and the second paragraph mentions that he chairs the "House" Ways and Means Committee. We ... More »
A review by The New York Times of the records dating back to 1996 showed that the congressman also did not report the income in 1996 through 2000. Mr. Davis said on ... More »
If he is allowed to treat this as a rental property he probably doesn't owe any tax anyway. These things are usually lousy investments. However, since he is presumed to be a great expert on taxes it doesn't look so good. Obviously he receives better treatment from the Times than a Republican would.
To me, this story was an example of good journalism. The writer, David Kocieniewski made a conscious effort to explain what the story was about and what kind of impact it would have on the reputation of Rangel. Kocieniewski provided enough background to emphasize why the story was newsworthy and what elevated it above a level of sensationalism such as Congressmen cheats the IRS. At the same time, Kocieniewski mentions what kind of punishment Rangel could be facing and why he is not at risk of having any federal tax liability. For those that don't have a background in finance and taxes, Kocieniewski goes deep enough so that the reader understands what exactly is going on and allows the readers of the story, the ... More »
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