Cain had Georgia tax lien from 2006

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Herman Cain, who says his 9-9-9 plan would transform the nation’s tax code, failed to pay his Georgia income taxes for 2006, prompting the state to file a tax lien against him, records show.

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Isaac Brekken, AP Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain's 9-9-9 proposal would dump the nation's tax structure, imposing in its place a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent national sales tax.

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The Cain campaign, while not disputing that Cain was delinquent on his taxes, said on Wednesday that the lien was an example of government gone awry.

State records show that a lien, which was posted Wednesday by the website the Daily Beast, was entered against Herman and Gloria Cain on Feb. 8, 2008. The total amount owed, according to the filing, was $8,553.46.

In an emailed statement, Cain spokesman J.D. Gordon noted that Cain was being treated for cancer at the time and that Cain had requested a six-month extension on his federal tax return, pushing the deadline back from April 15 to Oct. 15, 2007. Cain got a notice from the state dated Oct. 23, 2007, which he forwarded to his accountant about a week later, Gordon said.

“After investigating the letter, the accountant sent a letter of protest to the Georgia Department of Revenue on Nov. 15, 2007, and noting that Mr. Cain had filed a federal extension,” Gordon wrote to the AJC.

State records indicate that the lien was canceled on Dec. 8, 2008, 10 months from the day it was filed, after Cain made good on the debt.

“The experience serves as an example of how broken our federal and state bureaucracies are with respect to the collection of revenue,” Gordon wrote.

“The entire process is driven by automated letters generated in response to deadlines. Mr. Cain responded in a timely manner to the delinquency notice sent by the Georgia Department of revenue but was unable to stop the process that ultimately led to the filing of the tax lien.”

Cain's 9-9-9 proposal would dump the nation's tax structure, imposing in its place a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent corporate tax and a 9 percent national sales tax. A New York Times/CBS News poll this week showed him as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.