Meredith Wood Smith calls on Fraud Division
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Wojcicki, Communications Director amy [at] dpo [dot] org (503) 239-8636
Today Democratic Party of Oregon Chair Meredith Wood Smith joined Oregon Community leaders in asking the Fraud Team at the Oregon Department of Revenue to investigate what may have been an illegal attempt by Chris Dudley to evade paying Oregon taxes. That letter is attached here.
Serious questions have been raised in the media concerning where Mr. Dudley actually resided during the time he claimed to live in the state of Washington to avoid Oregon taxes. The letter to the Fraud Division states that the questions of “Mr. Dudley’s claim of primary residency in Washington State were fraudulent or false, and whether his attempts to avoid Oregon taxes crossed the line from tax avoidance into tax evasion.”
The letter goes on to ask “that an investigation be undertaken to determine if Mr. Dudley’s actions were fraudulent or otherwise in violation of state tax laws, so that steps can be taken by the State to recoup from Mr. Dudley what is rightfully owed to the State of Oregon for our schools, health care, and public safety. “
“The whole state suffers when wealthy people like Chris Dudley avoid paying their full share of Oregon Taxes, working men and women struggle everyday, but they are still paying their taxes to this state,” said Meredith Wood Smith, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. “There are real consequences when people like Dudley do not pay their full share of taxes. I urge the Fraud Division to fully investigate the matter.”
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