Published: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 4:59 PM ??? Updated: Tuesday, October 26, 2010, 5:41 PM
Alabama Supreme Court Justice Tom Parker today demanded that his Democratic opponent pull a “slanderous and defamatory” TV ad that claims Parker does not pay his taxes.
The ad for Mac Parsons, a judge in the Bessemer division of Jefferson County Circuit Court, accuses Parker of having “thousands in tax liens” and “years of unpaid taxes” while he has served on the state’s highest court.
An attorney for Parker, Al Agricola, sent a letter today to Parsons, threatening to sue his campaign for slander and file charges with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.
“The simple fact is that Justice Parker has the records to verify that your accusation that he ‘does not pay his taxes,’ and the allegations contained in your advertisement are baseless, false, slanderous and misleading,” Agricola wrote.
Parsons was not backing down today, however. His campaign released a statement reiterating the accusations. “Instead of getting lawyers to write letters, Tom Parker should explain to the people of Alabama why he doesn’t pay his taxes,” he said.
The Alabama Republican Party provided documentation from the state Department of Revenue showing that it removed a $548.18 lien in August 2003 after determining that the agency was incorrect.
In the ad, a narrator points out that Parker earns $160,000 a year as a Supreme Court justice.
“But Tom Parker doesn’t pay his taxes. The authorities hit Parker with thousands in tax liens — Alabama tax liens, federal tax liens,” he says. “Years of unpaid taxes while Parker’s been serving on Alabama’s Supreme Court. A Supreme Court justice who doesn’t pay his taxes. That’s really all you need to know about Tom Parker.”
The Department of Revenue document, signed by the assistant commissioner of revenue, stated that Parker and his wife provided information indicating that they had paid the taxes in dispute.
“Therefore, the assessment is declared to be erroneous and not a liability due the state; consequently, the assessment is rescinded, and the accrued interest on the assessment is hereby abated,” the order states.
Republican officials pointed out that the matter was cleared up more than a year before Parker joined the court in 2005. They also said that the reference to “thousands in unpaid taxes” appears to be the result of mistaken identity.
Party officials said the liens were placed against the estate of Parker’s father, Thomas F. Parker III.
But Parsons’ campaign said Parker is responsible for liens filed against the estate because he was the executor and one of the beneficiaries. The justice’s father died in 1983, two decades or more before the liens were filed.
The Parsons campaign provided documentation showing federal liens totaling $5,650.10 issued in June 2003 for tax years 1999 through 2001. The federal government also issued a pair of liens in October 2005 totaling $253.04 for tax years 1997 and 2002.
All of the liens were released in May 2007, according to records. That is two years after Parker took office, Parsons’ campaign pointed out.
“In fact, I will meet Tom Parker at the Montgomery County Probate Office, where these liens are filed, and he can explain how these liens, in his name, at his address, aren’t really his,” Parsons stated.
Parker spokesman Matt Chancey said Parsons’ accusation in the ad — that the justice does not pay is taxes — is literally untrue. He said Parker is the administrator of the estate but receives no income from it.
Chancey said the liens arose from a dispute over depreciation allowances, a disagreement similar to ones that thousands of honest taxpayers have every year.
Chancey said Parsons’ ad first began airing in the Birmingham media market last week and since has spread to most of the state. He estimated that Parsons bought $250,000 to $300,000 worth of air time.
(Updated at 6:32 p.m. to include a response from Parsons and 6:55 p.m. to include a reply from Parker).
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