In Case You Missed It:
Key Point: “Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin touts fiscal discipline, but he and his real estate company were late paying taxes dozens of times.
“A review of property tax records in the Maine communities of Oakland, Phippsburg, Georgetown and Bath indicates the freshman lawmaker from Oakland was assessed interest 31 times for tardy payments in the last 10 years for properties he owned outright, owned with his parents or was developing through his real estate company.”
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“There were four late payments since he won election to Congress in November 2014.”
[…]
“Phippsburg was an early adopter of electronic payments and had electronic data going back to the 1990s. Setting the clock back to 1993, had Poliquin about 10 more late payments, the analysis found.”
Maine congressman, fiscal hawk, was often late with taxes
Associated Press
August 3, 2016
Republican U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin touts fiscal discipline, but he and his real estate company were late paying taxes dozens of times.
A review of property tax records in the Maine communities of Oakland, Phippsburg, Georgetown and Bath indicates the freshman lawmaker from Oakland was assessed interest 31 times for tardy payments in the last 10 years for properties he owned outright, owned with his parents or was developing through his real estate company.
Poliquin’s property tax payment histories were among those of all members of Maine’s congressional delegation, as well as Poliquin’s Democratic opponent, reviewed by The Associated Press this summer through public records requests and interviews with town tax officials.
Poliquin’s track record was the worst, but he also controlled more property as a developer. He owned properties outright or through joint ownership with his parents; he held a stake in others through a real estate development company, Dirigo Holdings LLC.
The land included an oceanfront development, Popham Woods Condominiums in Phippsburg; the members-only Popham Beach Club; and a former sardine factory site he’d hoped to redevelop in Bath.
There were four late payments since he won election to Congress in November 2014.
This election year, Democrats aim to make gains in the House, cutting into the Republicans’ commanding advantage. Poliquin’s seat in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District is a top target after he won a hard-fought, three-way race in 2014.
The businessman and former state treasurer, who has touted himself as a “dependable voice for fiscal responsibility,” dismissed the late payments and interest penalties that added up to about $1,000 as the “cost of doing business” and attributed them to his thorough review of transactions.
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Phippsburg was an early adopter of electronic payments and had electronic data going back to the 1990s. Setting the clock back to 1993, had Poliquin about 10 more late payments, the analysis found.