Cool Stuff found on the Internet V

[The Lost One]

I don't know if this is cool to anyone but me. However, I have to say (as an attorney) that he should have hired a better tax attorney.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/25/survivor.taxes.ap/index.html

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

would it have helped? Sounds like it was more than just not paying taxes on one award.

[The Lost One]

He was convicted for criminal tax evasion, meaning he didn't tell the IRS that he won. So he didn't pay taxes on the award and then lied about it to the IRS, that's why he is going to jail. Specifically, it would be a willful failure to pay tax under IRC section 7203 and probably another charge of fraud under IRC 7207. Plus he will have to pay the tax (probably about $350,000) plus penalties for filing a fraudulent returns, under section 6663, (which would equal about $475,000), plus interest.

A decent tax attorney, however, could have kept him out of jail by advising him to do a voluntary disclosure, which by doing, would avoid the criminal charges under section 7203 and 7207. He would still have to pay the penalties and interest. Unfortunately, once the IRS started to investigate, voluntary disclosure doesn't work and he should have accepted to earlier plea bargain.

Bottom line, Richard Hatch acted like an idiot and should have talk to a lawyer as soon as he won survivor.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

Yeah but he also didn't pay taxes on his talk show host job. Sounds like he just hates paying taxes.

[The Lost One]

I don't know of too many people who like to pay taxes. In fact, some people hate them so much that they refuse to pay taxes and claim that tax collecting is illegal of the 16th amendment (which isn't true).

I think he thought that the IRS wouldn't audit him, which is true for most Americans. However, when you win a million dollar prize, you can expect the IRS to be giving you a call. Or he could be dump enough to think that someone else would pay his taxes for him, which can't happen.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I love turning in my taxes

Of course, ever since I've been paying income tax I have always gotten at least what I had pulled from my paycheck returned (if not more). So April isn't a bad time for me.

[Shrain]

Bottom line, Richard Hatch acted like an idiot . . .

More than that, even, I think. He merely acted like the scheming, arrogant twit he showed himself to be on the show. hehe. I, for one, am glad he didn't have a better lawyer--or more sense in the first place to take the plea bargain.

[Tage]

This TWG thread is cool because it has finally reached over 400 posts. So, who gets to start the next thread?