Author Archives: Russ

Snipes Files Notice of Appeal

Posted on May 6, 2008 by Russ

As promised, Wesley Snipes’ attorneys have filed a notice that they intend to appeal Snipes’ conviction and sentencing to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. The notice doesn’t specify what arguments they plan on using. The actual appeal will be … Continue reading →

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LA Times: Let’s Tax Our Way Out

Posted on May 6, 2008 by Russ

The Los Angeles Times today editorializes that the way for California to escape the budget crisis is to tax services: “Lawmakers cannot act in a fit of panic, but the scope of this year’s challenge should encourage new solutions, including … Continue reading →

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Loss of Income Insurance Leads to Evasion

Posted on May 4, 2008 by Russ

Buddy’s Carpet & Flooring is a Cincinnati-based chain of carpet stores. Its owners in the late 1990s devised a method of saving on their taxes—they purchased eight “loss of income” life insurance policies for $3.6 million. Those policies led to … Continue reading →

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One CA LLC Fee Case Resolved; Two to Go

Posted on May 4, 2008 by Russ

The Franchise Tax Board will now begin to send out some refunds on LLC Fees paid. These fees have been challenged in three court cases. Two of these cases are still in litigation. The one case that’s been resolved is … Continue reading →

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The List

Posted on May 4, 2008 by Russ

The Franchise Tax Board has posted its six month revision of its 250 biggest scofflaws. The largest debtors from October are gone, and a new name leads the list: Pinehill Investment of Rye, New York owes the FTB $6.133 million. … Continue reading →

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Shaolin Grand Master

Posted on May 1, 2008 by Russ

There are at least two movies called “Grand Master of Shaolin Kung Fu.” I haven’t seen either. But there is a Shaolin Grand Master who is in tax trouble. Qin Xiping is accused by the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau of … Continue reading →

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Franken’s Tax Troubles Continue

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Russ

Al Franken, the likely Democrat-Farm Labor candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he has paid over $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states. That’s not just California, but includes Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, … Continue reading →

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A Bit of Evasion

Posted on April 27, 2008 by Russ

It reached 98 F here in Irvine today. That’s hot. But I have three stories where the individuals involved have faced the heat of tax evasion. First, yet another Bozo tax preparer. Well, she really wasn’t a tax preparer but … Continue reading →

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The True Crimes of Wesley Snipes

Posted on April 27, 2008 by Russ

That’s the headline of an article in Canada’s National Post. The article looks at some notable (for all the wrong reasons) films that Wesley Snipes made. My favorite from the article: Crime: Blade: Trinity (2004) Verdict: The film that ruined … Continue reading →

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Is Al Franken the Next Celebrity Tax Scofflaw?

Posted on April 25, 2008 by Russ

Al Franken has had an interesting career. He’s been a comedian and a screenwriter, and now he’s running for the US Senate, hoping to get the nod of the Democrat-Farm Labor Party in Minnesota (and then, of course, in the … Continue reading →

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