Rep. Phil Hart
A northern Idaho lawmaker facing an investigation by a House ethics committee involving unpaid taxes and his ongoing battles with the Internal Revenue Service and state Tax Commission says he looks forward to the inquiry as an opportunity to tell his story.
Athol Republican Rep. Phil Hart faces questions about a possible conflict of interest involving his fight over unpaid state and federal income taxes and his position on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. He faces additional questions over possible misuse of the legislative privilege from arrest and civil process after seeking delays in his tax disputes during the Legislative session, citing his work as a state lawmaker.
House Speaker Lawerence Denney has said he will appoint the committee to look into a formal complaint against Hart from House Minority Leader John Rusche, a Democrat from Lewiston.
Hart has been hit with nearly $300,000 in tax liens from the Internal Revenue Service in the last year. He also owes the Idaho Tax Commission more than $53,000 in unpaid state income taxes, penalties and interest accrued over several years.
He stopped paying income taxes in 1996 when he filed a lawsuit against the IRS contending the tax is unconstitutional. A federal tax judge in Spokane rejected his argument in 2000, saying Hart had shown “an intentional disregard of the rules and regulations.”
Hart’s appeal was unsuccessful, and he conceded in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up the case. (AP)
