So last week, Matt Drudge announced his latest
publicity stunt, saying that he'd paid his penalty for not signing up for health insurance, and was calling it a "LIBERTY TAX" and because it's Matt Drudge, of course that was in all caps. A bunch of us on the left pointed out that that was pretty much bullshit because the tax penalty for going uninsured isn't due until 2015.
It turns out, Drudge is claiming that the estimated tax payment he made for the first quarter of this year is his Obamacare penalty. Which is still pretty much bullshit.
The H&R Block Tax Institute told The Wire that Drudge is likely overpaying his tax debt now and that the overpayment will be deducted once the health insurance penalty is assessed early next year. However, H&R Block also said there is no formal payment calculation yet in place by the IRS for the Individual Shared Responsibility Provision. What’s more, when individuals make estimated tax payments, they cannot specify which government program their payments are going to, i.e. building roads, fighting wars or healthcare. So, if H&R Block is right, Drudge’s literal claim is probably not exactly true, either. At best, he’s overpaying his taxes and assuming that extra money will go to his eventual penalty for not getting health insurance.
But hey Drudge, thanks anyway. Maybe your payment will go toward providing health insurance subsidies to people who really need and deserve it. And thanks for making paying any kind of tax a cool thing for a conservative to do. It's a stupid thing, but if you're stupid enough to think you're invincible—and can afford to pay the consequences like Drudge can—then this is a fitting penalty for stupidity.