Hannity falsely claimed Rep. Levin has "Tax Troubles"

Hannity attacked Levin for correcting Maryland county's property tax error

From the March 8 edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: Michigan Congressman Sander Levin is facing issues of his own, and they are -- surprise, surprise -- tax-related. Now, Roll Call reported that Levin improperly received a $690 Maryland property tax credit. It was issued for a home that Levin owns in the state, but was intended only for, quote, "owner-occupied properties." Unfortunately, Levin does not live in his Maryland home. Now, according to Roll Call, Representative Levin repaid the IRS [sic: Montgomery County Department of Finance] on Friday, so it appears that the Dems have finally found a House Ways and Means Committee chairman, and I know that, given their options, a pretty difficult task -- somebody who paid their taxes.

Hannity aired the following on-screen graphic during the segment:

Hannity ignored Levin's response that Montgomery County tax authorities committed error

Levin's office: Rep. Levin did not apply for credit, but "paid the full amount to Montgomery County to correct their mistake." The Roll Call article to which Hannity referred quoted Levin's chief of staff Hilarie Chambers saying: "This is not a tax credit that Rep. Levin applied for and in an abundance of caution he has paid the full amount to Montgomery County to correct their mistake."

Levin's office stated he corrected county's error. Roll Call reported that the credit in question "was intended for only 'owner-occupied' properties" and reported Chambers' statement that Levin corrected the error:

"Since Mr. Levin was not residing in the property for the full year and it is not his 'principal residence,' Mr. Levin has written a check of $690 to the County and clarified and confirmed once again to them that the correct classification of the Morgan Drive property is 'Not a Principal Residence,' " Chambers wrote in an e-mail.

Chambers referred to public records maintained by Montgomery County, which indicate the Chevy Chase home is a principal residence. Property records available from a Maryland state Web site indicate the property is not used as a principal residence.

Montgomery County property tax records dating to 1999 show that Levin's home has changed classifications -- principal or not principal -- four times.

Chambers said the property was designated as a principal residence in 2009, after Levin's attorneys submitted a revised deed to the county.

"It appears that when Mr. Levin's lawyers submitted a deed to the County in April 9, 2009 that removed Mrs. Levin's name from the deed and transferred Mrs. Levin's share into a trust the County mistakenly changed the record on the property to 'principal' residence without request from or notification to Mr. Levin," Chambers wrote.

She also said that a change-of-address form Levin submitted after he moved to the Silver Spring condo prompted another change to "not a principal residence" in January 2010.

Levin reportedly repaid a similar credit in 2006. Roll Call further reported Chambers' statement that Levin previously repaid a mistaken credit. From the article:

The Chevy Chase home has also received negligible homestead tax credits intended for permanent residents of the state at times during the past 10 years.

Chambers said that Levin repaid homestead taxes several years ago.

"The County has inconsistently classified the property on Morgan Drive," she wrote. "In April 2006 when Mr. Levin learned of the earlier mis-classifications he repaid the full amount for the Homestead Tax Credit mistakenly applied to the property. We confirmed [Friday] with the Montgomery County Department of Finance the amount repaid was $531.51."