December 10, 2010
NEWTON COUNTY’S ATTORNEY,
Tommy Craig,
owes IRS more than $400K
For those of you who may have forgotten,
Tommy Craig
is the “Reservoir Expert.” He came to Jasper
County in 2003 to
tell us all what a
great deal Bear Creek Reservoir was and how Jasper County
should get on board. That was 7 years
ago and there is still no permit for BCR.
But if the JCWSA and the BOC would have had their
way in 2003, Jasper
Couty would have owned 25% of nothing while paying for that nothing
every
quarter. Jasper County
would have already paid in $980,000 on that agreement which started off
at
$35,000 a quarter plus reimbursement of 25% of any costs (including
Tommy
Craig’s fees).
Tommy
Craig worked on Hard Labor Creek Reservoir in Walton County
that is now stalled because of financial
issues. He is currently working on a large
reservoir
(Glades) permit in Hall
County. It is the same song and dance—don’t worry
about the cost, just get the permit and
pay Tommy Craig his $1,500,000 consulting fee.
We’ll be following up on more about those
reservoirs, but now the new story….
THE TAX MAN COMETH
Lien filed against county attorney
Tommy Craig owes IRS more
than $400K
Posted: 11:20
PM Dec 9, 2010
Newton
Citizen
Reporter: By
Crystal Tatum, Staff Reporter Email Address: crystal.tatum@newtoncitizen.com
http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/newtonnews/headlines/Lien_filed_against_county_attorney_111645639.html?storySection=comments
COVINGTON
—
The Internal Revenue Service has a more than $400,000 federal tax lien
against
Newton County Attorney Tommy Craig, who is the county’s chief
legal counsel.
The notice of the tax lien, filed in March, is on file
in the Clerk of
Superior Court’s Office at the Newton County
Judicial Center and is public
record. The notice indicates that Craig failed to pay assessed taxes
related to
Form 941, the Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Form, which is
used by employers
to report employment taxes, withholding amounts, deposit amounts and
amounts
due to the IRS. The form requires a calculation of total taxes and
total
deposits made during the quarter. The difference between the total
taxes due
and total deposits is the amount owed to the IRS.
The
notice gives an unpaid balance of assessment totaling $401,202.76 for
tax
periods ending June 30, 2008; Sept. 30, 2008; Dec. 31,
2008;
March 31, 2009; June 30, 2009; and Sept. 30, 2009. The document says
the IRS
has a lien on all property belonging to Craig for the amount of unpaid
taxes,
including additional penalties, interest and costs that may accrue.
Craig said the matter is personal and that many other taxpayers are
facing
similar situations. “At the time
when
the economy went south we were doing a lot of work for commercial
developers in
the north Georgia
area ... We found ourselves in the position where we got behind,”
Craig said.
He then stated an accountant had “failed to take care of it in a
timely basis.”
“I have made arrangements to take care of that and I’m
sorry that it
happened,” he said. “I’ve hired an accountant to
address that, and he is in the
process of taking care of it. That’s all I care to say.
It’s a personal
matter.”
Several attempts to reach Board of Commissioners Chairman Kathy Morgan
for
comment on behalf of the county were unsuccessful. In 2008, Newton County
paid Craig’s office $832,977.93 for legal services, according to
information
provided by the county in response to an Open Records Request. In 2009,
the
county paid $758,215.34. Year-to-date for 2010, the total is
$852,084.88. The
figures include miscellaneous costs such as reimbursements, shipping
costs,
mileage and court recorder fees.
“The IRS is not permitted to discuss a particular or specific
taxpayer’s tax
matter or their taxes based on federal disclosure regulations and
federal law,”
IRS spokesman Mark Green said. Regulations prevent disclosure of the
current
payoff figure and the account status, Green said.
According to general information provided by the IRS, a
lien is similar to a
mortgage in that it does not necessarily reflect the current balance
due. The
balance due reflected on the form can be unpaid tax, penalty, interest
or any
combination of the three. It is possible for the actual tax to have
been fully
paid but for a balance due, consisting of penalty and interest, to
remain.
Liens give the IRS legal claim to property as a security
or payment on tax
debt. A Notice of Federal Tax Lien is filed after liability is assessed
and the
IRS sends a notice and demand for payment along with a bill indicating
how much
is owed, and the taxpayer does not fully pay the debt within 10 days of
notification. The lien attaches to all property and rights to property,
including accounts receivable for employers.
A spokeswoman for the Georgia Bar Association said the lien is a civil
matter and will not result in sanctions or disbarment.
