Company tied to Tilley pays late plane taxes

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A company once partly owned by Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley has paid nearly $50,000 in overdue taxes and penalties on airplanes that it owned.

Tilley, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor from Perryville, owned a share of Mid Missouri Aviation with lobbyist Travis Brown until Brown bought out Tilley's portion at the end of 2009.

The Kansas City Star reported Thursday that Mid Missouri Aviation has paid $48,228 of overdue personal property taxes, interest and penalties to Callaway County for airplanes owned in 2007, 2008 and 2009. County tax records show the money for the first two years was paid March 31, and the money for 2009 was paid on April 21.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill acknowledged on March 21 that a company partly owned by herself and her husband owed around $300,000 in overdue taxes, interest and penalties on an airplane.

Like McCaskill, Brown said he learned that airplane owners are responsible for self-reporting aircraft to the county where they are housed. Brown said the law "isn't always clear" about how primary hangar locations are designated, especially for planes that are frequently flown out of state. Unlike for automobiles, no tax notice is sent to airplane owners stipulating that they owe back taxes, Brown noted.

He said McCaskill's public acknowledgment about her airplane taxes served as reminder for him to get caught up on his own taxes, and he voluntarily reported his situation to local tax officials.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com