S.C. Senator Greg Ryberg dropped a bomb on the S.C. General Assembly today when he revealed that twelve S.C. House members have failed to file state income tax returns in recent years.
Eleven of these lawmakers were “presumed to have a duty to file,” Ryberg said, quoting a letter he received from the State Department of Revenue.
Additionally, Ryberg said that three S.C. House members owed a combined total of just over $21,000 in unpaid individual income taxes.
Ryberg says he obtained the information after requesting it from the Revenue Department.
Ryberg did not identify the lawmakers but said that “the idea that any member of the General Assembly would hold the laws of this state in so little regard that they simple ignore them when they find them inconvenient truly offends me.”
You can view Ryberg’s shocking announcement here:
Ryberg has introduced legislation that would prevent anyone who has either failed to file or failed to pay income tax from holding office in the House or the Senate, or from serving in any statewide elected office or as a gubernatorial appointment.
By Aequitas Veritas April 21, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Will he publicize the list of names?
By Bob April 21, 2009 at 3:33 pm
The Sec of the Treas does not pay his taxes. Why should we?
By hammerheadSC April 21, 2009 at 4:27 pm
There is going to be all sorts of backpeddling from those who have not, claiming extensions or investigations or in Geithner method- I didn’t know!?!?
Im with Ryberg on this, and futhermore, I am for formal prosecution after they are removed from office. Everyone else knows the IRS wouldn’t hold back anything when going against someone of the general public, why should lawmakers be treated differently or even exempt!
Thanks for bringing up and Keep digging FITS, even if that means Sic has to call in some old favors.
By Col. Richard Mustard April 21, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Missing a few facts:
Ryberg did make mention of the status of Senate members. He noted that no members had failed to file in the time period of 1999-2007, and only one had owed back taxes. That member owed $1,299 and set up a payment plan to repay.
And the reason the names weren’t released is because they weren’t provided by DOR.
By StupidShouldHurtMore (SSHM) April 21, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Sad … truly sad …
It looks like Sen. Ryberg jumped the shark about the time he shaved off his trademark handlebar moustache.
I never knew Sen. Ryberg was a member of the Tattletale Party and represented Tattletaleville. Give it a rest and let the mechanisms of government work. If you want blinding speed and the efficiency of business, might I suggest a return to the private sector, sir.
There are far more pressing matters to address sir.
- SSHM
By Friends of Fits... April 21, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Its very wrong that those elected officals didn’t pay taxes…But has Ryberg every fixed the fact that he doesn’t disclose that he still has state contracts?
By Mab April 21, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Yeah Hammerhead — this is awesome! Sic, please go all industrial-size on us with the excavation equipment. Tax-cheat legislators have no mercy in my book.
You go, Sen. Ryberg!!!
By newzjunkie April 21, 2009 at 8:04 pm
He won’t say who they are because they are REPUBLICANS just like him! Fits, you’re the media, FOIA the information!
By RON PAUL April 21, 2009 at 8:13 pm
The ethics of all politicians should always be under a microscope.Those unworthy should be removed and those guilty of wrongs should be held up as examples.These people whoever they are should be made known and not re-elected. PERIOD!!…THEY SHOULD BE SHAMED AND RIDICULED
By CNSYD April 21, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Ryberg is just another Yankee carpetbagger trying to tell us how to run our state. He made all his loot ripping off poor folk in his “convinence” stores. He found out what appeal he had when he ran for higher office. We South Carolinians will not be bought by the likes of him.
By elroy jetson April 21, 2009 at 10:26 pm
“We South Carolinians will not be bought by the likes of him.”
So, it’s okay for elected officials not to pay their taxes?
By CNSYD April 22, 2009 at 3:02 am
Elroy, surely you are smart enough to know political grandstanding when you see it. How easy it is to throw grenades. No names. No details. Next he will accuse them of being heterosexuals.
By Toyota Kawaski April 22, 2009 at 8:30 am
The Senator from Wisconsin is glad-handing once again
By hammerheadSC April 22, 2009 at 9:01 am
CNSYD, I am not a Ryberg fan either, but I applaude him for the class he is bringing here. He is introducing a bill, not tattletaling. He has produced statistics that support his bill without incriminating people. I think this bill should be pushed through on expedited course.
If FITS and news outlets can dig into the issue and bring the individuals to light, whether right, left, center -republican, democrat, libertarian, etc- then a push to have these individuals removed.
Would Geithner, or any of the other cabinet members of the Executive branch ever paid their back taxes if not nominated, we will never know. But they did take care of the matter afterwards and cost them respect. So the same should work here in this case. Bring the matter to the publics attention and allow the voters to oust them in reelection.
And this gets me back on my fair tax soapbox……
By newzjunkie April 22, 2009 at 10:11 am
HammerheadSC, Fits would NEVER bring the individuals to light! They might snitch on someone the like!
By Marvin April 22, 2009 at 10:23 am
Bottom line? Restructure government! SSHM, it might be one thing if a few recalcitrant legislators pulled a fast one and got away with something, but the question has to become whether they got away with it because of their positions. Chances are good that is the case. If DOR has this info, then why haven’t they pursued it? Any private citizen would be screwed.
This General Assembly has too much power, period. If they can ignore the law with regard to taxes, imagine what else they are doing. We have to trust that our elected officials are obeying the same laws as the rest of us. If not, then we should look at our checks and balances. Oh, right…we don’t have any in South Carolina. Therefore, the legislature can do whatever it wants with impunity.
SSHM, you are less a defender of a philosophy and more a defender of the system itself, i.e., the legislature. For which you clearly work. Defending a system because it pays you is not the same as defending ideas in which you believe. I would like to hear your philosophical logic for why politicians who ignore the tax law should not be exposed. I find that bizarre from anyone, regardless of party affiliation.
By CNSYD April 22, 2009 at 10:32 am
hammerheadSC, I can agree with your comments to a point. If he had filed a bill that required legislators to be paid up or they can’t serve, then that is fine. To me it is when you start waving a “list” around with the express purpose of drawing attention to yourself that I have a problem with. IRT fair tax, I think ALL taxes ought to be sales or VAT with no exceptions. Then people can’t escape them.
By Just Checking April 22, 2009 at 10:53 am
I bet with the right digging around you could find the goods on this Wisconsin weasel. He bet up video poker for years…only after getting rid of his machines, and then proceeds to have high stakes gambling parties in Aiken, that are OK, because even though illegal, because he’s well off. Also, he is the Senator that represents Aiken from Jan-Jun and Isle of Palms Jun-Dec
By fitsnews April 22, 2009 at 10:57 am
Dear All,
We are endeavoring to discover who the Reps are – and we will publish what we find out, absolutely.
As for Ryberg, Sic Willie has already opened that particular can of whoopass on the good Senator … circa 2006.
Ryberg hasn’t spoken to him since.
-FITS
By To my thinking April 22, 2009 at 11:11 am
Go, Fits! Please get the names. Transparency!
By hammerheadSC April 22, 2009 at 11:56 am
What? Someone doesn’t like Will? come on thats not right!
By John Barton April 22, 2009 at 12:10 pm
All somebody needs to do now is to file a FOIA request with DOR–how can they refuse to release the details (names, etc) to the public when Ryberg got it and spread it all over the news? And everyone one of these legislators better get prosecuted, just like every other poor sap out there in SC who didn’t file for whatever reason and got arrested and prosecuted. Or will DOR and the Attorney General make it official: the Legislature is above the law.
By Don't F with me! April 22, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Ryberg is a wannabe something else than a Senator!!
Who in their right mind would vote for him or T-Rav for spending millions for 100K/yr. State job??
Not someone I want looking after my tax dollars!!!
By Silence Dogood April 22, 2009 at 9:42 pm
This is awesome! Let’s elevate the Dept. of Revenue above all of the memebers of the executive and legislative branches. Bascially all that needs to happen is for the Dept. of Rev. to disgree between with you and your accountant or tax attorney and whoobang! Your out of office, if you win the case later, the Dept. of Rev. or the indivual filer made a scrivners error – to bad so sad so sorry. Over 1530 filings over nine years by on average very affluent people, they four that were deliquent and one who was already on a payment plan…was Ryberg trying to explain how good the General Assembly is compared to the average?
Maybe Ryberg and other Senators should have been looking at laws to make the Dept. of Revenue better at enforcing the damn laws in first place rather than trying to use them to pinch potential political rivals with scurrilous accusations.
By Silence Dogood April 22, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Can we investigate which legislators are adulterers? I bet it is more than 4 of the 170 over the past 9 years???
I mean hey, they write family law too, and if the Senator’s or Representative’s spouse can’t trust them…can we? Are we looking down on people who owe some back taxes but are on a payment plan more than the one person in life they took a vow to be faithful to?
Go get’em Sen. Greg. What a moron!