Joe The Plumber: Not A Tax Expert

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. "Joe the Plumber," is the topic of the day on the campaign trail, in part because he held an impromptu press conference Thursday morning in front of his house to discuss tax policy, his disdain for Social Security, and his critiques of Barack Obama.

Already, however, there is some dispute as to whether or not Wurzelbacher was being accurate with his critique of Obama. His business, as ABC reports, would almost certainly get a tax cut under Obama's plan, given that he does not expect to make anywhere close to $250,000 in profits.

Moreover, for someone worried about his taxes, Wurzelbacher doesn't -- it appears - always pay them. A filing with the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas shows that he has had state tax liens filed against him, meaning he was either delinquent or didn't fully cover taxes that he owed.

A representative at the court explained that Wurzelbacher had not paid $1,182.98 of personal income tax. The state filed a lien on January 26, 2007, and the payment remains outstanding. But the court rep also cautioned that this all may have occurred without Wurzelbacher's knowledge.

"We get hundreds of state liens every day and we don't have to make a judgment on them. We are just putting in there what the state says is owed. We don't notify that person and neither does the state. If there was activity on this lien, if they attempted to collect it on this case - which they haven't -- it would show up. But I am 99.9 percent positive that he doesn't even know about this."

Tax-issues aside, the "Joe-the-Plumber" fervor seems to be spreading beyond small town Ohio. On the streets of Manhattan this morning, a plumbing company car was spotted with a "Joe The Plumber For President" poster on its side.

But before Obama supporters fret about losing the plumber vote, it's worth noting that the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters has endorsed the Illinois Democrat, in part because the union thinks he has the best economic agenda for its members.

"Obama will help us keep existing jobs and work to develop new, higher paying jobs here in America, reform our health care system, fix our ailing schools and make sure that the pensions of our retirees are safe," the union said.

Comments

[ANTONBERLIN]

02:26 AM on 11/03/2008

Great Joe the Plumber Website

http://www.joe-the-plumber-sucks-my-nutz.com/

N-joy !

[fromero]

11:46 PM on 10/30/2008

Could anybody tell me if Joe the Plumber is coming to campaign here in Charlotte anytime soon? I’d like to hear him speak and ask his opinion on the Fed’s Open Market Account and his take the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. I also hope that he’s being well remunerated for his campaign appearances. A man on plumber’s wages can’t afford to take too many breaks from his regular job.

[SuiginTou7]

10:11 AM on 10/18/2008

Joe the Plumber meet Joe the plumber who's part of a labor union and who you PO enough to rally around Obama. Drop the act, we're not buying it , Loser.

[w8aminute]

08:36 AM on 10/18/2008

He's obviously been brainwashed by too much talk radio, too much Faux news....that's what happens. Remember the 'this is you brain on drugs' commercials? Well, Joe's brain is what happens to too much Faux & Rush.....

[uss titans]

11:35 PM on 10/17/2008

As an Independent party suporter, I laugh everytime these Joe the Plumber supporters bloggers begging the rest of the blogers to stop the attack.
'Please stop the attack. He just asked a simple question. He is innocents.'
Then I started to think what if I was Joe the Plumber and accidentally got caught into this mess.....Innocently.
Once I found out I did have a lien on my property for not paid my tax and recognize that my dream of owning my own $250,000( more like $500,000 after all the deductible) plus business is evaporating. I would simply ask everybody (Press) to leave my lawn so I would lick my wound......Nah too easy. I had to have my fame and fortune so I come out and talk my two cents about how Obama's economic going to ruin my life. And another interview, then another, then another. Not knowing that my life and all of my secrets.....No licences, Lien on unpaid-Tax, trying to buy a plumber company with two workers that make only $100,000 per year in this economic state, Republican voter passing for an undecided Independent.....will be discovered by the media???
I ask myself....Why do people keep attacking me? I am a just an innocent guy....Leave me alone. Poor me, Poor ol me.


Yeah I do feel sorry for Joe the Plumber. Because he is stupid for putting himself and his family in crap pile. No one else, not even McCain.

[hopefulinflorida]

08:50 AM on 10/17/2008

Sometimes I wonder: if Mccain feels sorry for this man, he could easily pull out his wallet and help him directly. If more of the extremely wealthy did that, we would have the social problems that we do. Instead they give to charities and attend all the fancy charity balls and have a photo op, all the while the administrators of these charities steal the money for themselves and it rarely goes to actually help a person. If you really think about it, all the people who went into foreclosure were probably behind in their payments by a few months. If the banks forgave the back payments, or put them on the back end and renogiate the mortgages that would solve the problem and it wouldn't cost the governemt 700 billion. They all talk like they want to help the people and it never happens.

[hopefulinflorida]

08:45 AM on 10/17/2008

Regardless of whether this man was a mccain plant or not, this tax lien thing is a subject no one talks about, how the irs harrasses the poor and middle class and gives tax breaks to millionaires and corporations. The irs does not have the time or the lawyers to go after them, and they do have t he money to hire the top tax attornies so t hat they don't have to pay tax. Now the irs will torture this man for 1148.00 as if he is supporting the national debt., I think the irs should be abolished.

[IndependentinVA]

08:39 AM on 10/17/2008

you are attacking one of the middle class? what a joke - and that goes for the cl0wn that posted this cr@p in the first place. m0r0n.

[SuiginTou7]

10:15 AM on 10/18/2008

Hmm bad week to stop drinking,eh?

[blackjack19]

07:55 AM on 10/17/2008

Joe the Plumber, more like, Joe the Liar.

The company Joe works for made around $100,000 last year. In 2006, Joe made $40,000. He and the owner may have discussed Joe trying to buy the company someday, but there is no reason to believe he is, "getting ready to buy a company."

If Obama ran his campaign like McCain, he'd be crying that this was a "gotcha question."

[nadiks]

08:38 AM on 10/17/2008

Seems like a little swift boating too Bad he got found out.

[Vern58]

05:49 AM on 10/17/2008

Sorry, the man is a ryt wang nuitjaab, who has a faltering grip on reality. Can we move on to subjects that effect the other 99.999 % of the population. Sorry but this fixation with a frustrated republican louudmouuth has got me riled.

[grittybrit]

05:28 AM on 10/17/2008

Ole Joe has even become famous over here in Britain!! We have the FULL story. See it here:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1078242/Why-Joe-Plumber-licensed-plumber-owes-1-200-taxes--really-called-Sam.html

[emily00011]

04:35 AM on 10/17/2008

What a sham! Like the whole republican party.

[ckgccrn]

05:00 AM on 10/17/2008

Based on the video of his conversation with Obama, Joe had a ready-made story available to test Obama's tax plan. It is just too convenient that Joe claimed to be buying a business making "250,000 to 280,000" dollars per year. I believe Joe was a plant, designed to give McCain this tactic to use in the debate. We find out through the media that nothing Joe has said about himself is true. How much do you suppose the McCain campaign paid Joe to create this scenario, but apparently gave him no clue how to keep his facade going for more than 48 hours. McCain claims to be honest and trustworthy. Joe was a plant, just like those "angry" people at his town hall meeting last week who spoke up so loudly, spouting the talking points so clearly, while the cameras rolled.

[nadiks]

08:39 AM on 10/17/2008

Seem like a little SWIFT BOATING" SOUND FAMILIAR

[enlighteninglad]

09:05 AM on 10/17/2008

Obviously a plant. Someone on C-Span this morning claimed the same thing only he and his brother were truckers that finally got their own busniess and they were making ...wait for it....$250,000! Gee what a coincidence. Thie right wing is the wrong wing. Just about everything they say is wrong.

[Hawaii4Obama]

03:06 AM on 10/17/2008

"Joe", your fifteen minutes are up....am sure you loved being interviewed this morning discussing your views on Social Security...perhaps you can help ol' Sarah with her talking points....

[dlinguist]

02:29 AM on 10/17/2008

Let me offer the following scenario:

McCain campaign staffers see the video of Obama stumbling on a question from a private citizen. In 20 months of campaigning, shaking hands and answering questions, things like that happen to the best of candidates. Staffers decide to go the common man angle in a debate and then follow with a multi-million dollar ad campaign with the footage.

Staffers forget to vet the private citizen, let's call him Joe, because the soundbite is more important than the substance behind it. We come to find out that Joe was just some guy who wanted to trip up a politician he didn't support, and padded his personal situation to fit the question. Something the Staffers would have found out.. if.. they.. had just interviewed him first. Does Palin come to mind?

To the staffers: "Fool me once.. shame on.. shame on you... if fooled, you can't get fooled again." - W.

[namshub]

04:14 PM on 11/01/2008

Interesting scenario, but how can you say that Obama stubmled in answering his concerns on Obama's tax plan? Obama spoke clearly, took the time to answer his specific concerns, and expalined why he thought his plan would be effective.

I tend to believe that he was a plant, but regardless I thought that Obama did a terrific job addressing his concerns!

[stanjz]

01:21 AM on 10/17/2008

His name is not Joe. He isn't a licensed plumber and he doesn't pay taxes anyway. This is the saddest and silliest political stunt I've ever seen. Is Senator McCain going for the sympathy vote? The Republican Party is looking less and less competent. All this is happening on the heels of possibly the most incompetent president( Republican)in history.