Q&A #3: Does The Taxman Cometh?

Via Facebook, "Judy Meredith" asks:

How will the tax evasion stuff play out among state wide candidates?

For those unfamiliar with the story, the Boston Globe has reported that Tim Cahill, Tim Murray, and Guy Glodis all failed to pay federal taxes on the interest earned by campaign funds held in CDs. 

I think the story hurts Cahill a little; it's just one more item that Baker can use against him. On its own, I don't think it's a big deal, but it's not nothing.

I don't think Murray, or more importantly the Patrick/Murray ticket, will take much of a hit -- they caught a break with the Cahill piece coming first, and I assume they knew Murray had the same problem because Patrick's response to the Cahill story was so muted.

The one who could take a real hit from it is Guy Glodis, for two reasons. First, he's running for freakin' auditor, so it really looks bad that he screwed up his own taxes. But also, unlike Cahill and Murray who copped quickly to the error and said they could correct it, Glodis is claiming that he doesn't owe taxes on that interest. That kinda makes this a serious test of Glodis's judgment. However, like Murray, Glodis caught the break of not being the first one named -- and he additionally gets the break of being of far less public and media interest than Cahill and Murray. So, in the end, I think it doesn't hurt him too badly in the primary.