Geithner Links Woes to Tax Software Used by 18 Million Americans
 

President Obama's pick for treasury secretary may want to take a refresher course in using the program TurboTax.

Maybe, next time, Timothy Geithner should pay an accountant. Or take a simple computer course.

Geithner, President Obama's choice to run the U.S. Treasury and spearhead America's recovery from its financial crisis, is well on his way to being confirmed after the Senate Finance Committee voted 18-5 Thursday to forward his nomination to the full Senate.

But the endorsement came only after he underwent embarrassing scrutiny for his failure to pay all of his income taxes in 2001 and 2002 -- a mistake he blamed on an easy-to-use computer income tax program used by 18 million taxpayers a year.

Geithner said he used the popular software program TurboTax to complete his income tax forms in those two years, and he failed to include self-employment taxes in his federal returns.

He said that, to his recollection, the program did not prompt him to report income and pay self-employment taxes.

"Friends do not let friends use TurboTax"

Wishing you many happy returns,

Dr. Wayne T. Essex