U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes is questioning Larry Kissell's campaign salaries.
In a new TV ad, the Concord Republican reveals that his Democratic rival hasn't been paying payroll taxes for his campaign workers.
So far in this campaign, Kissell, a Biscoe schoolteacher, has treated all of his employees as independent contractors who pay their own taxes, although field workers he hired this month will be paid as full-time employees whose taxes will be paid by the campaign.
Spokesman Thomas Thacker said resources were so scarce in the 2006 campaign that Kissell never hired any full-time workers.
"I am completely satisfied with the fee I'm paid, and I'm completely satisfied shopping for health care in the private sector, and I thought that was something that Republicans thought was a good thing," he said.
Election law does not address when campaign workers should be treated as full-time employees. While most campaigns, including Hayes', hire independent consultants for advice, many also have regular employees for whom they pay payroll taxes.
"This is the guy who is claiming to be the candidate of the workers, who is supposed to be representing worker rights, yet look at how he treats his workers,” said Hayes' campaign manager Steve Quain. “It's the height of hypocrisy." (Char-O)
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Re: The tyranny of "or"
I'm trying to decide whether I'd rather be wrong or devious and haven't quite reached a conclusion on that.