Guam - 
Former Governor Carl Gutierrez has issued a comment in response to a letter sent
 
Tuesday
 
night from Calvo Tenorio Campaign Attorney Thomas Fisher alleging his accusations regarding tax write-offs are a sham.


 Attorney Fisher last night stated the people of Guam are owed an apology and an explanation for the "slanderous and untrue comments you've been making about tax write-offs."


The Gutierrez Gumataotao campaign has repeatedly suggested that Governor Eddie Calvo has given a $3.6 million tax write-off to one of his family businesses.  In his letter, attorney Fisher stated that was not was the case and that documents that were circulated and released recently on the internet show that the taxpayer was not a Calvo-family business.


 Gutierrez issued the following statement in response to Fisher's letter:


 “After canceling 3 debates in a row, Gov. Calvo through his lawyers and spokespersons, continues to evade the question of why he gave a $3.6M tax write off when everyone else, especially the everyday citizen, has to pay their fair share of taxes including any penalty and interest for not filing his or her taxes on time. The Calvo Tenorio Administration has even gone so far as to threaten to take away private property from those who cannot afford to pay their property taxes. 


Calvo had the opportunity to appear before the people last night to respond to these questions himself, unscripted, at the Guam Women's Chamber of Commerce Forum.  He could have directly answered questions regarding the $3.6 million tax write-off, and also the $210 million funneled to Calvo's Selectcare during his Administration, the $3 million in tax credits to the Calvo family from the Layon landfill process, or the $29 million in tax credits given to a company owned by Calvo Finance. Instead of filling the chair that was waiting for him at last night's forum, Calvo  chose to issue yet  another statement through his  campaign attorney Tom Fisher. Fisher is the Calvo Tenorio campaign attorney and has multiple government contracts including a   $2.7 million contract given by Calvo for all three medical referral offices.  Calvo has followed this up by today dispatching his spokesperson and yet another attorney to defend documents that they won't even admit exist.


It is becoming very clear why Gov. Calvo is paying so much attention to these tax documents which publicly surfaced demonstrating that he gave a $3.6 million tax write off. I am sure they are polling regularly and that Calvo Tenorio's polling numbers show them dropping because of this latest tax scandal. Why else would they issue new explanations every day since this issue surfaced? And, why else would the Calvo Tenorio Campaign attempt to spin this political controversy in a convoluted way so as to confuse the media and the public?


Instead of answering the hard questions himself, Calvo has launched a witch hunt to find out how those federally protected documents were delivered to the media. I am not abetting a criminal activity as Calvo alleges through his lawyer. I am simply demonstrating how a Gutierrez Gumataotao Administration will be open and transparent, and how I would NOT have allowed this $3.6M tax write off. It's unfair and unconscionable.  Eddie Calvo's decision to cancel three debates to avoid answering these hard questions speaks louder than all his spokespersons and attorneys. No matter how hard his lawyers try to get Eddie Calvo out of this one, I simply submit that their explanations are too little too late.”