“We believe we have an obligation to the citizens of the District to protect against unwarranted claims against our precious tax dollars.” That’s what Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan said recently when asked about the city’s failure to settle a lawsuit filed by Eric Payne, a whistleblower whose prime crime seemed to have been his fidelity to D.C. procurement rules.
But, Nathan’s fight-rather-than-settle-tax-protection principle has been applied selectively. It wasn’t used when the Office of Tax and Revenue decided this 2012 fiscal year to reduce by $2.6 billion the value of 500 commercial properties, causing the city to forego more than $48 million in revenue, according to the Washington Post. That action came without any scuffle between the District and property owners before the city’s tax appeals board or the D.C. Superior Court, as is customary.
