Tax issues enter House campaign

• By SARAH CHACKO
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Apr 16, 2008 - Page: 15A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Many Louisiana residents put their tax issues to bed Tuesday night but political groups are keeping the issue alive in the U.S. 6th District congressional race.

About 10 residents showed up at Republican candidate Woody Jenkins’ campaign headquarters Tuesday afternoon to “help remind” the candidate his taxes were due.

The group — which advertised its rally through Louisiana Victory 2008, a nationwide campaign to get Democrats elected — waved signs and handed out documents saying Jenkins has a history of failing to pay taxes on Great Oaks Broadcasting Corp., a company Jenkins owns, which has resulted in numerous tax liens.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, liens are a legal claim to a person’s property as security or payment for tax debt. 

On the Republican side, the National Republican Congressional Committee has launched a media campaign picking apart Democratic candidate and state Rep. Don Cazayoux’s record of voting for tax increases, mainly during his first four years in office.

Cazayoux did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.

Katie Nee, Cazayoux’s campaign manger, said the Republican committee’s claims do not take into account actions taken by the Legislature to cut taxes in the past four years.

Jenkins and Cazayoux will meet with two no party and one other party candidate in a general election for the 6th District seat May 3.

Jenkins, of Baton Rouge, said to his knowledge, all of the liens against his company have been paid off and released.

A search of public records dating back to 1986 show that Great Oaks Broadcasting had 12 federal and seven state tax liens against it. Almost all have documents verifying that the liens have been released.

About $3,080 in liens appeared to still be outstanding. Jenkins said those have also been paid off but he has to request a certificate of release for it to be documented.

“If you pay it, that does not mean they issue the certificate for release,” he said.

Jenkins said the Democratic party is dredging up his history to divert attention from what it means to send a Democrat to Congress, which he says is the bigger picture.