Famous tax evaders
"Americans spend more on taxes than on food, housing and clothing combined," said Tax Foundation economist William McBride, who wrote this year's report.
The Tax Foundation has been calculating the calendar-based measure of the cost of government for 40 years. The idea started with Florida businessman Dallas Hostetler in 1948. Now, 24 other nations also calculate their own tax freedom days, said Tax Foundation Vice President Joe Henchman.
The calculation includes all personal, payroll, corporate, property and sales/excise taxes, McBride said. In recent years, the Tax Foundation has calculated separately Tax Freedom Day including the federal deficit. This year that date is May 14, just a week shy of the record set in 1945.
Tax Freedom Day is influenced not only by tax rates but also total tax collections that rise as the economy recovers, McBride said. He who attributes this year's later date "mainly to increased tax collections from the rebounding economy. It would be three days later without the extension of the 'payroll tax holiday.'"
The states with the latest Tax Freedom Day are:
•Connecticut, May 5
•New Jersey and New York, May 1
•Washington, April 24
•Wyoming, Maryland and Illinois, April 23
•Minnesota and Massachusetts, April 22
•Wisconsin, April 21
•California, April 20
"The total tax burden borne by residents of different states varies considerably, not only due to differing state tax policies, but also because of the steep progressivity of the federal tax system. This means higher-income states celebrate Tax Freedom Day later," the report said.
The earliest Tax Freedom Days are in:
•Tennessee, March 31
•Louisiana and Mississippi, April 1
•South Carolina, April 3
•South Dakota, April 4
When: 2011
The retired NBA All-Star played for several clubs during his 13-year career, but it was his time with this team that landed him on Wisconsin's Top 100 Delinquent Taxpayers list.
The Wisconsin government is getting proactive about its delinquent taxpayers – it has posted the Top 100 online. And two of the top three are former NBA players. No. 1 is Milwaukee native Latrell Sprewell, who the government claims owes them $3.53 million in taxes.
No. 3 is something of a surprise: Anthony Mason, the former Milwaukee Bucks’ power forward. The government says Mason owes them $2.07 million in back taxes.
Sprewell’s financial issues have been well-chronicled on this site – he lost his Yacht, his house was being foreclosed a few years ago, but he’s still got the Big Body Benz – but I’m somewhat surprised by Mason, who always struck me as an upstanding, responsible individual. According to one site, Mason was paid about $16 million with the Bucks over four years, and his career NBA salary totaled about $45 million. Sprewell made in the ballpark of $97 million on the basketball court in his career.
When: 2011
The world-champion boxer and "Dancing with the Stars" contestant apparently wasn't worried about his tax bill when cameras caught him pulling this stunt in an Atlanta nightclub.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. has been living a life of luxury winning big-money fights, appearing on VH1’s “What Chilli Wants” and bragging on Twitter about the major bills he’s earned betting on NBA and college basketball games. But the undefeated boxing legend may need to cough up that money after the IRS served him with a massive $3.4 million dollar bill.
According to community.detnews.com, the $3,359,279 lien was filed on Jan. 21 with the Clark County Recorder in Nevada.
The IRS is claiming that Mayweather owes income taxes from 2009, the same year he came out of retirement for a September comeback fight with boxer Juan Manuel Márquez, for which he was reportedly paid $25 million to enter the ring.
The following May, he earned an astounding $40 million for his 36-minute bout with “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
The 34-year-old boxer apparently has a history of run-ins with the IRS, dating back to 2008 when the feds filed a whopping $6,165,735 tax lien against the boxer for unpaid income taxes. Mayweather later negotiated a payment plan with the IRS, but apparently he’s still having issues paying off his debt.
When: 2010
The former "Baywatch" star – who reportedly used to spend thousands daily on her appearance – landed on her home state's list of delinquent taxpayers.
Pamela Anderson, celebrity spokeswoman for People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals tries a political approach in her way against the Canadian seal hunt. Pamela, who has been a U.S resident for over 20 years, has filed a series of access to information requests to gain knowledge of how much the government spends on the annual seal hunt.
“We’re wasting millions of tax dollars every year to prop up the violent, dying seal slaughter,” Anderson wrote in an email to The Canadian Press. “It’s no longer an issue of concern just for animal advocates but for any Canadian disgusted by government waste. And for the many Canadians who travel abroad, like me, it’s a huge embarrassment.”
Anderson filed three access requests with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
The hilarious twist to the story can be found in Ms. Anderson’s own tax history. Pamela was recently found to owe over $1 million dollars in unpaid taxes to the U.S government, and is facing legal battles regarding millions of dollars of unpaid fee’s owed to contractors who performed work on her multi-million dollar Hollywood home.
We here at Animal Wrongs want YOUR feedback on this story. Do you think that Pamela, although still considered a Canadian citizen while having not resided, worked, or paid taxes here in two decades has any right or claim to this information? What do you think of a proven tax evader coming out and criticizing government spending while she has multi-million dollar renovations done to her home?
When: 2010
The pro golfer spent nearly a year in jail for failing to pay his income taxes. American golfer Jim Thorpe, a 13-time winner on the senior Champions Tour, has been charged with failing to pay $1.6 million in federal income taxes, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Thorpe, 60, of Heathrow, Florida, faces four counts of failure to file an income tax return and three counts of failure to pay income taxes. If convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to seven years in prison and a $3.2 million fine.
Prosecutors said Thorpe failed to file personal income tax returns on time and to pay his taxes for 2002, 2003 and 2004. In addition, they said he failed to file a corporate tax return on time for his company, JLT Inc, in 2003.
During those three years, Thorpe had gross income of more than $5.2 million, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Orlando.
A North Carolina native, Thorpe played more than 450 tournaments on the PGA Tour and won three times. He had three top 10 finishes in majors: two in the U.S. Open and one in the PGA Championship.
He has won 13 times, including one major, in more than 300 events on the Champions Tour, which features golfers 50 years of age and older.
Thorpe has more than $13 million in career earnings as a professional golfer, according to the PGA Tour website.
When: 2009
Tax problems after the death of her longtime partner reportedly led the world-famous photographer to put up the copyrights to her entire collection as loan collateral. It’s far from the massive sums other celebrities owe, but last year famed photographer Annie Leibovitz was accused of owing $135,916 in back taxes in New York. That’s chump change when compared to the $15.5 million she borrowed in February of this year to pay off her debts.
When: 2009
The Academy Award winner – who's been known to make outlandish purchases – agreed to pay the IRS millions in back taxes.Nicolas Cage has agreed to pay $666,000 to settle charges by the IRS that he improperly deducted personal expenses, including limos, meals, gifts and trips on his Gulfstream jet.
Originally Cage contested the IRS' claims, but he seems to have relented.
Forbes: Nicolas Cage, who plays a jaded hit man in his new movie opening Friday, Bangkok Dangerous, has agreed to pay substantial back taxes and penalties to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which said that for years he improperly deducted personal expenses.
In papers filed in U.S. Tax Court, Cage and his Los Angeles-headquartered Saturn Productions said they would pay $666,000, plus unspecified interest. Nearly one-fifth of the base amount, or $99,000, is an "accuracy-related" penalty.
When: 2009
The Texas financier claimed ties to a prestigious college, founded an international cricket tournament and was even knighted before his fraud conviction.Earlier this year Robert Allen Stanford became infamous when he was accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of engaging in a gigantic fraud. It turns out that Robert Allen Stanford also has massive tax problems. According to a Motion to Intervene filed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the SEC matter, Stanford and his wife Susan Stanford owe the IRS over $226, 000,000 for the 1999 through 2003 tax years. In addition they may owe additional taxes for other years. The IRS has already filed tax liens against the Stanfords for 2002 and 2003, however, the Stanfords' filed a petition in the United States Tax Court (Tax Court) to dispute the amount of the tax owed. The Stanfords’ petition to the Tax Court for 2002 and 2003 was an appeal from a collection due process (CDP) hearing. The federal tax liens, are fully effective, however, upon filing by the IRS, and if the Stanfords had a prior opportunity to dispute the amount of the tax due then they would not be entitled to another chance due so in the CDP hearing. The entire tax lien and tax levy process was slowed when the District Court in the SEC case issued a general order barring creditors from proceeding with claims against the Stanfords. The IRS motion seeks to allow it to move forward with tax litigation and collection against the Stanfords.
If you have tax liens, or tax levies please call the tax controversy lawyers at Brager Tax Law Group, A P.C.
When: 2007
The former pro football player and actor – who was acquitted of murder in 1995 – found himself in hot water with the state of California.Joining O.J. Simpson on the list of California’s biggest tax debtors is comedian Sinbad, who owes the Golden State $2.5 million in personal income tax. The most surprising part about this is not that Sinbad owes taxes — it’s that he owes so much. A bill for $2.5 million seems a little steep for a man whose last widely seen role was in Jingle All the Way.
When: 2007
The Latin singer – who reportedly spent big bucks on his pop-singer ex-wife – saw two associates plead guilty to tax felonies.Marc Anthony, husband of Jennifer Lopez, dodged a bullet today when as part of a plea agreement, he and two others agreed to pay a total of $2.5 million in back taxes. In exchange, Anthony, whose real name is Marco Antonio Muniz, will avoid criminal prosecution.
The charges stem from an investigation into three companies controlled by Anthony, Ari Enterprises, Ltd., Bolero Records, Ltd., and Marc Anthony Productions, Inc. According to the New York County District Attorney, Anthony and two others who worked for these companies "failed to file New York State and City corporate tax returns and pay their respective tax liabilities."
Anthony and his colleagues have agreed to pay the debt by May 31, 2007 or face additional penalties.
When: 2006
The "Blade" star and martial artist is currently serving prison time (how much?) for failing to file federal income taxes.Hollywood film star Wesley Snipes has been sentenced to three-years in jail for failing to pay his taxes.
United States District Judge William Terrell Hodges imposed the maximum term that the prosecution had called for – a year for each of Snipes’ convictions. The actor had been found guilty of wilfully failing to file tax returns.
However, Wesley Snipes’ lawyers pleaded for leniency, claiming that the offences were actually misdemeanours and that their client was of otherwise good character.
The judge and prosecution didn’t agree and said that an example needed to be shown and that just because Snipes was famous shouldn’t be taken into account.
Wesley Snipes had been already found guilty in February of deliberately failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001, although he was cleared of more the serious crimes of fraud and conspiracy.
The judge pointed out that Snipes had displayed a “history of contempt over a period of time” American tax laws.
Wesley Snipes, whose lawyers say an appeal is being launched, asked for mercy to be granted him and apologised for his actions.
Snipes has not yet been imprisoned and it hasn’t been revealed as to when he will have to surrender to authorities.
When: 2006
The former CEO of Tyco International reportedly spent thousands on bathroom decor and millions on his wife's birthday party before he was convicted on grand larceny and conspiracy charges.In May 2006, Dennis Kozlowski was ordered to repay $21.2m in owed New York sales taxes. The tax had been dodged on 12 paintings, including a Monet, a Renoir and a Bouguereau. Added to this charge were several other scandals relating to his former company, Tyco, including $81m in unauthorized bonuses. Kozlowski had reportedly liked to throw his money around; he bragged of his shower curtain costing $6,000. However, 8.5-25 years in prison was a bonus he wasn’t expecting.
When: 2006
The original "Survivor" winner has served two jail sentences and a stint on "Celebrity Apprentice" since his 2000 victory. Former reality TV star Richard Hatch has lost his latest appeal in his tax evasion case tied to the $1 million he won in the first season of “Survivor.”
On Tuesday, A Rhode Island Federal judge denied Hatch’s request to pay a smaller amount ($25) to the IRS for the month of January.
According to a report by the Washington Post, Hatch, 50, was ordered to pay 25 percent of his gross income to the IRS as part of his sentence for failing to comply with the terms of his supervised release. He sought the reduced payment, saying he’d earned only $500 since being freed in December after spending nine months in prison.
Public defender Mary McElroy says Hatch’s accountant and agent take 20 percent of his income and he’s saving for an apartment. She says he’s relying on others for housing and basic necessities.
When: 1997
The troubled "Hollywood Madam" received a long prison sentence for unpaid taxes and went on to appear on "Celebrity Rehab."Fleiss, who served 21 months in jail for tax evasion in relation to running a prostitution ring, said she was no longer comfortable in the house.
Of socialite Trump, she said: ''I find it so funny that whatever I say she answers with a whole other thing. She's trying to be cool about it, but I can tell.''
Her feelings emerged yesterday when she told fellow contestants Stephanie Beacham and Dane Bowers that she wanted to leave the show.
Speaking in the Diary Room, Fleiss said: ''I think I'm ready to go home.
''I'm not comfortable any more. I don't like the showering, I want my food, I want my things.
''I guess I'm not that tough.''
Cage fighter Alex Reid was lured into a secret task yesterday and told to knock down a snowman in the garden in return for his own punchbag.
If he failed to complete the task, all the housemates would be punished.
Reid told the talking Tree of Temptation: ''I tell you what, I'll give it a go - I'll do it.''
On Friday, love was in the air for DJ Basshunter - real name Jonas Altberg - and Ronnie Wood's ex-girlfriend Katia Ivanova.
Despite the fact that Ivanova has a boyfriend, she smooched with the 25-year-old Swede under the duvet as they shared a bed.
The pair snuggled up to make room for Trump as there are only 11 beds in the house.
Former Olympic skier Trump made a surprise entrance on Friday as the housemates staged a variety performance.
Actor Stephen Baldwin told Big Brother he wanted to swap beds to avoid sleeping next to Trump.
He said: ''There's a disease in the US called sleep cougar syndrome'' - this is when an older woman wants to sleep with a younger man.
Devout Christian Baldwin said he was concerned that Trump would get lonely in the night and look to the next bed for company.
Singer Sisqo's chances of winning the show have significantly increased since he shaved himself and donned a mankini to win Thursday's Hunk Off task.
Bookmaker Ladbrokes reported a flurry of bets from female viewers after the Thong Song star was voted the winner of the male beauty pageant by the women in the house, slashing his odds of winning from 7/1 to 4/1.
Vinnie Jones remains favourite to be crowned the winner of the last Celebrity Big Brother with odds of 9/4.
When: 1996
The retired professional boxer was charged with tax fraud in his home country but went on to open a themed restaurant and train his boxing sons.Chavez is the 6 time world champion boxer in three different weight divisions. Was considered the best pound for pound boxer in the world and one of the greatest Mexican boxers ever. Julio Cesar Chavez has not kept up on his taxes and recently his debt went public. Chaves owes taxes on earnings from his fights from 1993 to 1999 for a total of $12,771,000.
Chavez has earned many millions throughout the years as a boxer and with these earnings he has failed to pay. Chavez has not yet commented on how this happened or if he was aware of his failure to pay the IRS.
When: 1995
The Major League Baseball All-Star battled drug problems and multiple arrests and cancer, but went on to raise money for his charity on a 2010 reality show.Former Met and Yankee Darryl Strawberry will pay the IRS more than $430,000 in back taxes, penalties and interest.
A judgment was signed today by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks. Strawberry was convicted of tax evasion in 1995 over income from autographs and memorabilia. He is agreeing to pay the IRS for tax years 1989 and 1990.
Court papers show that Strawberry has already paid the IRS more than $8,600 of the total amount.
Court papers indicate that Strawberry represented himself in the tax case. He listed an address in St. Charles, Mo.
Strawberry was an eight-time All-Star and member of two World Series championship teams. He has also battled drug
When: 1990
The former Cincinnati Red – who was placed on Major League Baseball's ineligible list in 1989 – served jail time for filing false tax returns and faced tax problems again in 2004. Baseball's "Charlie Hustle" Pete Rose, seen here with girlfriend and "Playboy" model Kiana Kim, made his name with the Cincinnati Reds, first as a player and later as a manager. Despite his many on-field accomplishments, he agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball when he was caught gambling on games, including those played by his own team. As if that weren't bad enough, in 1990 Rose was sentenced to five months in prison and a $50,000 fine for tax evasion, according to the Associated Press.
He had failed to report more than $350,000 of income from autograph signings, sales of memorabilia and even the gambling that had cost him his career and good standing. At the sentencing hearing, Rose accepted responsibility for his predicament, saying "I have no excuses because it's all my fault."
When: 1990
The "Red-Headed Stranger" had several assets seized by the IRS, including a decked-out golf cart and his Texas ranch. Willie Nelson was in hot water in the early nineties for years worth of tax evasion, which he blamed on his financial manager. In order to pay his back taxes, he made a two-volume, solo acoustic album on the cheap, which he sold by mail order through television commercials, acknowledging the humor of the situation by calling the project "Who'll Buy My Memories: The I.R.S. Tapes".
This is an intimate trip through some of Willie's greatest lesser-known songs, obviously among those that mean the most to him. The performances are restrained, stately, haunting and full of life.
In particular, on this day after Memorial Day in the U.S., I'd like to call attention to the powerful but subtle anti-war song "Jimmy's Road", which Willie placed prominently as the second track on the first volume. God bless our troops, and God damn those who send them needlessly to death and dismemberment and psychological destruction. And those of them who use war as a license for inhuman behavior. And those who justify the above.
Excuse the digression. Anyway, these discs are changing hands for at least $40-something used and, respectively, $230 and $135 on Amazon. Not as huge as Willie's tax bill, but way too high a price for such valuable (in a non-monetary sense) recordings! Here they are at The Rare Stuff, encoded at 320 for your aural pleasure. (Of course, if you care to contribute to my own tax bill, please use the Paypal link to the right, or kindly check out one or two of our sponsors!)
When: 1989
The late "Queen of Mean" – known for her extravagant lifestyle and unusual heir– was convicted of tax evasion. Her infamous quote revealed during the trial probably didn't help her case.Shockingly, someone with the nickname “The Queen of Mean” turned out to not be the kind of person who abides by the rules of civil society – like paying taxes. Billionaire hotel operator Leona Helmsley had a particular philosophy when it came to taxes. As her housekeeper famously testified, Helmsley felt that: “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” Apparently, Helmsley also didn’t feel that she should pay her bills, and when disgruntled contractors took her to court over a $8m mansion remodeling contract they felt it only fair to mention that Helmsley had been deducting the cost as hotel expenses. A sentence of 16 years in prison swiftly followed, although it was later significantly reduced.
When: 1980
The Italian bombshell returned to her home country to serve jail time for failing to file a tax return in 1964.The Man of La Mancha star was not living la dolce vita in 1982, when she served 18 days of a 30-day sentence in an Italian prison for tax evasion. The charges were over a $7,000 discrepancy on her 1970 tax return. Loren filed a petition for pardon, saying her accountants had made an error, but the actress and her husband, producer Carlo Ponti, had been under investigation for tax and currency violations before. In 1977, finance police actually nabbed Loren before she caught a flight to Paris and detained her for nine hours at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
When: 1931
The notorious Chicago gangster managed to avoid charges on more serious allegations but eventually served time for tax evasion.Apparently tax evasion was the biggest crime the U.S. government could pin on notorious mob boss Al Capone. In 1931 he was sentenced to 11 years in jail, and he was slapped with a $50,000 fine for failure to pay four years’ worth of taxes, plus $215,000 in back taxes. Legend has it the gangster called tax laws a joke because "the government can't collect legal taxes on illegal money." But the government had the last laugh: Capone spent seven and a half years in prison, and never recovered his crime empire.
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