Braun Says She's Done Discussing Taxes
UPDATED 10/07/11 11:10 a.m.
CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) --Mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun is saying again that she is done talking about her taxes.
Braun's taxes have been in the spotlight all week. The latest revelation comes from a Chicago Tribune report, which says an examination of public records shows Braun was late in paying property taxes on her Hyde Park neighborhood home five of the last six times a bill was due.
Questions also persist about where Braun gets her money, and her troubled finances.
On Friday, she had an answer for reporters.
"You guys are free to look at the statement. There's no more drilling down on this to do," Braun said.
When a reporter said there is "plenty more drilling down" to be done on the issue of Braun's taxes, a campaign announced, "We've got to go."
Then the aide put his hand over the reporter's voice recorder as Braun walked away.
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The Tribune reported Braun paid more than $3,400 in late penalties and for property taxes due in 2009. Two installments were paid after Braun was told the taxes would be put up for auction.
On Thursday, Braun released her federal tax returns for 2006 and 2007, with a refund of $48,000 for the latter year. The 2006 return showed a loss of more than $163,000.
Braun also released her 2009 tax returns earlier this week, after doing an about-face from an earlier statement that she would not release any tax returns until after the election because she didn't "want to."
The tax returns revealed her struggles as an entrepreneur, with a money-losing organic food business and a heavily-mortgaged home.
Braun paid $785 in federal income taxes on her $15,561 in adjusted income in 2009 and paid $2,509 in taxes in 2008 despite reporting an adjusted loss of $225,908, according to tax returns she released Tuesday.
In 2008, Braun reported $55,000 in wages, $17,757 in business income, $4,842 in IRA distributions and $21,988 in pensions. But she also reported a loss of $120,614 from "Rental real estate, royalties, partnerships, corporations, trusts, etc." and a "net operating loss" of $203,702.
In 2009, she reported no wages, but took $28,237 in pension and $5,558 in business income. At the same time, she reported $17,505 in losses from "Rental real estate, royalties, partnerships, corporations, trusts, etc."
