Politics

Huckabee defends Drudge ‘Liberty Tax,’ slams media for ‘missing the point’

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee defended Matt Drudge Tuesday, taking on the media in the process.

In an email to supporters Huckabee slammed the “liberal press” and the White House for labeling the conservative tycoon “a liar” when he tweeted that he paid the Obamacare tax penalty.

“I know the authors of Obamacare never read it, but have the people who write our tax laws ever read them?” Huckabee wrote.

“Drudge fired back that as a business owner, he has to estimate his taxes in advance and make quarterly payments, so he’s factoring in the Obamacare penalty and paying it now,” he continued. “It’s understandable that folks in Washington weren’t aware of that: they have no experience at running a business OR planning ahead.”

Tuesday, Talking Points Memo reported that Drudge pointed to the IRS worksheet, which advised filers to consider the penalty when estimating taxes.

“Who said anything about ‘required’ ??,” Drudge told TPM. “IRS tax forms recommend you begin paying the tax in estimates for 2014, which is what I did. I will not be getting Obamacare.”

According to Huckabee, even though Drudge was right to begin with, the media has been missing the real story.

“Still, the press missed the point, which is that the government can now use the IRS to force you to buy a private product as a condition of US citizenship,” the former presidential candidate wrote. “Whether it’s due now or next year is irrelevant. It should never have been allowed at all.”

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