Oh, This is Rich

Bummer of a birth mark, Harold

You know that Harold Ford, chairman of the corporatist squish faux Democratic DLC and failed US Senate candidate in Tennessee is considering a Senate run in New York State.

Well, now it turns out that he's never filed a New York state tax return, despite the fact that he has been employed at Merrill Lynch since 2007:

Ford claims to have moved to New York three years ago, and says paying "New York taxes" makes him a New Yorker. But his spokeswoman confirms to Gawker that he's never filed a New York tax return — meaning that he's never paid New York's income tax, despite keeping an office and a residence in New York City as a vice chairman of Merrill Lynch since 2007: "He pays New York taxes and will file a New York tax return in April for the first time," Ford's spokeswoman Tammy Sun told Gawker. "He will file all necessary personal disclosure and tax forms that candidates are required to file if he chooses to run." (According to Sun, Ford admitted to the tax dodge yesterday at a press availability in Albany, but we can't find any news accounts mentioning the remarks.)

Now it appears that there has been some damage control from his PR folks, who are now saying that he will be filing a return for the first time in April, which means that he's been breaking New York state law, which requires that out of state residents pay taxes on income earned in New York, and so file.

Someone has broken the law, and put his foot in it again.

Note: Tennessee, of course, has no personal income tax.

[on edit] Not completely true: There are no income taxes in Tennessee on wages and salaries, other forms of income, interest and dividends for example, are taxable.