Trade rep-designate Kirk owes taxes

Trade rep-designate Kirk owes taxes Another Obama administration nominee has a tax problem.
   This time it's U.S. Trade Representative-designate Ron Kirk. The former Dallas mayor failed to pay almost $10,000 in taxes, the Senate Finance Committee said Monday.
   The outstanding tax liabilities concerned undeclared speaking honoraria and charitable contributions. Kirk said he would file amended returns and pay back money owed.
   Kirk and his tax preparer did not think the honoraria were taxable income because he asked groups he spoke before to assign the honoraria to Austin College to support a scholarship fund. According to the Internal Revenue Service, he should have reported the speaking fees as income and then taken a deduction for charitable donations.
   Kirk's confirmation hearing is scheduled for March 9. Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mon., said he still backs Kirk and will work to quickly confirm him.
   Kirk is the fourth Obama administration nominee that has had issues with unpaid taxes. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner had to resolve a personal tax issue before being confirmed. Tom Daschle and Nancy Killifer bowed out as Obama's pick to be Health and Human Services secretary and chief performance officer, respectively, after lingering tax problems were discovered.