HACKETT'S HYPOCRISY CATCHES UP WITH HIM AFTER YEARS OF UNPAID TAXES

Pays off multiple tax bills only after campaign for Congress begins

Clarks Summit, PA—Chris Hackett violates his own declaration of principles when it comes to paying his own taxes. The Scranton Times Tribune reported that Hackett owed nearly $17,000 in back taxes, and he waited to pay the bulk of the overdue taxes until after he secured his party’s nomination.

“This is a guy who says one thing and does another,” said Chris Carney. "I'm fighting to lower taxes for hard-working families who follow the rules, while he's fighting to lower his own taxes by not paying them."

According to the Scranton Times Tribune (6/11), Hackett’s $16,915 state tax lien—filed Aug. 12, 2004—is still listed as outstanding at the Luzerne county courthouse. Hackett claimed to pay the state of Pennsylvania $13,615 on August 2, 2007—the same month he announced his Congressional bid. Hackett also waited until he had secured his party’s nomination on April 22, 2008 to settle the bulk of his tax liens four and five years overdue—finalizing a $14,966 state lien from 2004 on May 1, 2008.

“Chris Hackett brings hypocrisy to a new level,” said Vincent Rongione, Carney for Congress campaign manager. “This is a politician who issues a declaration of principles, and what does he do? Cuts his own taxes by refusing to pay taxes like every other hard-working family in Pennsylvania. Hackett thinks the rules don’t apply to him—first on immigration when he hires an illegal worker, and now on taxes when he skips out on his bill.”

"People expect a higher standard, not someone who only pays their taxes once they've won their party's primary,” said Carney.

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