Becoming a politician is a noble career choice. The job of a politician involves serving the public by enacting laws, programs, and initiatives that benefit society as a whole.
What are the Financial Requirements in Becoming a Politician?
In order to become a politician, you will need to meet certain financial requirements. These might include specific educational prerequisites, as well as meeting minimum income requirements for filing taxes and other personal financial criteria. It’s not an easy road, but if you feel called to serve your community in this way it could be worth exploring.
Here are the financial requirements you need to become a politician:
Taxes and Financial Standing
If you want to become a politician, it’s important that you keep your taxes and financial standing in good order. That’s because the public will be looking very closely at your finances. If they notice something they disagree with, they may use it to discredit you as a candidate. That said, taxes and finances are also important to politicians for more basic reasons.
As politicians, they will be expected to provide financial advice to their constituents. In addition, they will require a certain financial standing in order to perform their job effectively.
Politicians who understand taxes and financial issues will be better able to craft legislation that benefits the public. Beyond that, politicians will need to be able to recognize and avoid corruption within their own ranks.
Income Requirements
Some offices have minimum income requirements. For example, U.S. Senators have an income requirement of $174,000, and U.S. Representatives have a minimum income requirement of $71,500. There are also income requirements for state offices.
However, these will vary based on the type of office you want to run for. Some offices may also have a minimum net worth requirement. For example, state governors have a net worth requirement of $1,000,000. Local offices may have a minimum income requirement or a minimum net worth requirement. When you run for office, you can expect your finances to be thoroughly investigated.
You may be audited by the IRS at any time in the future, even after you have left office. If you’re still new to becoming a politician and want to have all the requirements without having them check your credit, you can go to microcapital.