Palin Told to Pay Taxes on Per Diem Cash

Sarah Palin will have to pay income tax on the thousands of dollars she charged the state for her meals and expenses, state officials said today. As recently as December, Palin was still drawing a per diem allowance while she lived in her Wasilla home, the Anchorage Daily News reports, even after it became fodder for critics during her vice presidential bid.

In her first 19 months in office, Palin billed the state for 312 nights spent at home, receiving $60 a day, tax-free. Such allowances are supposed to be used when traveling on state business. Palin won’t say how much she’s on the hook for—a spokeswoman called it a “private matter.” (More Sarah Palin stories.)