Former Sen. Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama's choice to head the Health and Human Services Department, is followed by reporters as he leaves a closed meeting with the Senate Finance Committee on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
(Correction: This story originally contained a comment from the Tax Foundation that was incorrectly quoted, and has been removed.)

(CNSNews.com) – During his 26 years in Congress, former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) consistently supported tax hikes, opposed tax cuts and had tough words for tax scofflaws.
 
“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter,” Daschle said in 1998, according to the Congressional Record.
 
Daschle, nominated to serve as President Barack Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services, paid $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest last week. The tax and penalties stem from a free car service provided to Daschle from 2005 through 2007. Although the service was free, Daschle was supposed to report its value as income.
 
Throughout his tenure in Congress, Daschle was a strong advocate of tax increases.
 
As member of the House in 1981, Daschle voted against President Reagan's tax cut (the Economic Recovery Tax Act) that slashed individual income tax rates 25 percent across the board.
 
In 1990, during his first term in the Senate, Daschle voted for the Budget Enforcement Act, which raised the top individual income tax rate to 31 percent from 28 percent. Then-President George H. W. Bush signed the bill into law.
 
“We have to insure that the wealthy pay more than the poor, and secondly, I think that the goal is sacred,” Daschle said as he defended the tax hike on Jim Lehrer’s “News Hour” on Oct. 18, 1990.
 
In 1993, Daschle supported the Clinton administration’s Revenue Reconciliation Act, which raised the top tax rate to 36 percent.
 
In 2001, Daschle opposed President George W. Bush’s tax cut -- the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act -- which included rate cuts on personal income and other taxes. In opposing the tax cuts of 2001, Daschle again argued that they would benefit the rich.
 
"We're talking about giving Bill Gates a $2 million tax break in the name of economic stimulus and cutting back on aid to children," Daschle was quoted as saying in a  March 10, 2001 article in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota Argus Leader.
 
In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, Daschle insisted that he was embarrassed about the “errors” he had made in his taxes.
 
"I am deeply embarrassed and disappointed by the errors that required me to amend my tax returns," wrote Daschle. "I apologize for the errors and profoundly regret that you have had to devote time to them."
 
Speaking with reporters after meeting with the Finance Committee members, Daschle said, "The American people have high expectations for those of us who serve the public good. That's especially true when it comes to taxes. They pay their fair share, and they expect all of us to do the same." 
  
Despite his tax problems, Daschle continues to have the support of President Obama and his fellow Democrats. Republicans, however, are expected to take a tougher line at Daschle’s  Feb. 10 confirmation hearing.
 
An aide to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) told the Associated Press that Grassley has a lot of questions for Daschle -– not only about taxes, but also about potential conflicts of interest he may face after accepting speaking fees from health care interests.