Monday, March 02, 2009

Tax Scandals Of The Rich and Famous

Tax season is here, and so are new tax scandals. Boston.com recently posted a timeline with pictures about tax scandals of both the past and present. You can find clips from the time line below, but be sure to check out the full post here.

Tax season is here again, along with the stress of calculations, forms, and deadlines. Need some inspiration as you keep the IRS at bay, or maybe just a reminder that things could be worse?

Here are a few celebrities whose tax woes could serve as a guide -- of what not to do.

Timothy Geithner

The treasury secretary hasn't even played by IRS rules. Geithner failed to pay $34,000 in self-employment taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes between 2001 and 2004. Geithner contended the mistakes weren't intentional, but that he should have known better.

Tom Daschle

Daschle had to withdraw his nomination for health and human services secretary once he was accused of failing to pay more than $128,000 in taxes. The back taxes involved unreported consulting fees, questionable charitable contributions, and failure to pay taxes on the use of a limousine and driver, according to a "confidential draft" report prepared by Senate Finance Committee staff.

Helio Castroneves

The racecar driver and "Dancing with the Stars" winner was accused of hiding about $5.5 million in income from the IRS in October. His sister Katiucia and attorney Alan Miller were also charged. Castroneves's trial is set to take place in March.

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