Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) was claiming occupancy tax credits on two homes, including one he does not use as his primary residence, in addition to making a habit of paying his property taxes late, according to a recent NBC News report.
Brown, who is running for reelection in a red state, claimed two owner-occupancy tax credits. This potentially violates Buckeye State rules for such incentives since he and his wife, Connie Schultz, reportedly live at their Cleveland address, where the two are also registered to vote.
Officials who spoke to NBC News emphasized that in order to use the tax credit twice, as it is only intended to be used once for the primary residence, a married couple would need to somehow demonstrate that they live separately.
NBC News further explained:
Brown’s acceptance of the two 2.5% tax credits — which since 2019 had saved him more than $1,000 between the two properties — could have yielded scrutiny from local tax collectors unaware that he was receiving the benefit in two counties. The senator and Schultz have claimed the credit on their Cleveland home for a decade, records show. Brown had received the credit on his downstate Columbus condo since at least 2019, according to documents available online via the Franklin County treasurer.
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A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Taxation pointed to several excerpts from state law when asked what consequences a couple could face if a county auditor or treasurer found that they had improperly claimed the tax credit at two properties. One section states that the property owners could be required to pay back what they weren’t entitled to, plus interest.
Additionally, the two have also paid the tax bill for their Cleveland house late at least seven times since purchasing the residence in 2013, including the most recent deadline earlier this year in February (which incurred a $390 penalty), according to the Cuyahoga County treasurer’s record that NBC News reviewed.
When asked, Brown’s campaign manager, Rachel Petri, told NBC News that he paid his February tax bill this week, including the penalty. She also said he repaid Franklin County the occupancy credits he should not have received for his condo in Columbus residence, which the county confirmed to NBC News.
“They made a mistake, have taken care of it, and paid Franklin County,” Petri said, without explaining what caused the “mistake.”
His campaign also claimed that he would no longer accept the tax credit for the Columbus property, which a spokesperson for the Franklin County auditor, Jennifer Lockrey, confirmed to NBC News was taken off his account. Lockrey told the publication that title companies sometimes make some errors, adding, “It’s not an unusual occurrence for owners of more than one property.”
Following the NBC News report, Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Ohio, Bernie Moreno, slammed Brown for his “corruption.”
“This is the type of corruption that happens when you spend your entire life as an entitled career politician, living off of the taxpayers’ dime,” said Moreno. “Sherrod Brown has been in politics for nearly 50 years now. It’s time we send him into retirement, so he can finally get a real job.”
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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