When Congress created the independent chief financial officer for the District, it wanted to ensure the city had a balanced budget, collected its revenues, paid vendors on time and generally better controlled its money. Federal officials never envisioned a finance manager who would ignore or revise established laws. Natwar Gandhi apparently has done just that. According to a recent report by D.C. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan, the Office of Tax and Revenue, part of Gandhi’s $131 million operation, stopped collecting in 2007 a recordation tax as proscribed by the 2000 Tax Clarity Act, possibly costing the city millions of dollars in lost revenues.

“OTR’s 2007 decision to change its interpretation of the law was based on review and analysis by OTR legal staff,” said CFO spokesman David Umansky.