Vulnerable House Dem Penalized for Late Property Tax Payments

Rep. Matthew Cartwright has a history of tax delinquency

Alana Goodman • August 4, 2022 12:00 pm

Rep. Matthew Cartwright (D., Pa.) was hit with tax penalties for late condo payments in 2021, just three years after facing media scrutiny for repeated tax delinquency.

Cartwright last year owed $436.63 in penalties and interest, stemming from the late property tax payments on his Washington, D.C., condo he shares with his wife, according to D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue records reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

The news could be a problem for the congressman, who is locked in a competitive race against Republican challenger Jim Bognet. Cartwright on Tuesday declined to say if he supports a Democratic-backed inflation bill that is expected to raise taxes on middle-income earners, according to Fox News.

Cartwright did not respond to a request for comment from the Free Beacon.

Cartwright’s late taxes have been fodder for political attacks in his past campaigns. In 2018, Cartwright’s opponent ran an ad that slammed the congressman for supporting tax hikes “while refusing to pay taxes on his luxury Washington condo.”

At the time, Cartwright defended his years of late payments as an “oversight.” He had racked up $3,700 in penalties and interest related to delinquencies between 2013 and 2018, according to the Associated Press.

Cartwright in 2015 received a notice from the city threatening to put the condo up for sale if the delinquency wasn’t resolved, the AP reported.

“This is a very busy job that I have and I’m working really hard at it,” Cartwright told the news outlet, noting that he eventually paid the taxes and penalties in each of these cases.

Cartwright’s race is one of two tossup House elections in Pennsylvania this year, which could determine party control in the lower chamber.