America's most famous plumber is a tax dodger
THE reputation of Joe the Plumber as the new superstar of the American election went down the drain yesterday when it emerged he is an unlicensed tax dodger.
Joe Wurzelbacher, a 34-year-old single father, was thrust into the spotlight when he confronted presidential hopeful Barack Obama on the campaign trail.
Joe accused Obama of having a “socialist” tax policy that would see him paying more if he succeeded in buying his own business.
The small-town Ohio plumber became an overnight celebrity and symbol of honest, ordinary workers striving for the American Dream.
In Wednesday night’s national TV debate between Obama and Republican candidate John McCain, “Joe the Plumber” was referred to 23 times.
Promising no tax rises, McCain said of the debate: “The real winner was Joe the Plumber. Joe’s the man. He won and small businesses won across America.”
But a spanner was thrown into the works yesterday with revelations that hard-working Joe is not necessarily so honest.
It turns out he has never held a plumber’s licence, he never completed an apprenticeship and does not belong to the plumbers’ union.
And the public record shows his dislike for handing the government money is genuine – he owes £684 in back taxes for last year. The Ohio Department of Taxation has issued a claim against him that could lead to seizure of goods.
Even more muck came out of the pipes when it emerged that his name is not even Joe. His full name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher and he votes Republican, according to records.
He has been trying to buy the plumbing business he works for, Newell Plumbing, for six years without success – and even if he did and Obama wins the election, his taxes would not necessarily rise.
While Obama’s higher income tax bracket starts at about £120,000, income tax is measured on personal income, not the turnover of the business you own. Joe admitted he currently earns “nowhere near” that sum and appears unlikely to in the near future – with his chances of cashing in on his celebrity also now significantly dampened.
Joe also admitted he does not have a plumber’s licence, but claimed that he works for someone else’s company and therefore does not need an individual one.
* There was more trouble for the McCain camp yesterday when Vicki Iseman, a 41-year-old blonde Washington lobbyist, was forced to deny persistent rumours that she had an affair with him.
