CNBC airs The American Tax Cheat tonight at 9:00 EST:
Hundreds of billions of dollars escape IRS collections every year. So who is the American tax cheat secretly keeping their cash while the rest of us have to pony up? Why do so many people believe that cheating on your taxes is morally ok?
CNBC’s Becky Quick investigates how this widespread tax evasion lands businessmen in prison, celebrities in hot water, and citizens in fear and desperation. You’ll meet a woman who lost nearly everything after falling for a bogus tax scheme, a former millionaire who’s now in prison and those who hate the IRS so much they’ve resorted to violence.
We’ll go inside the IRS’s Forensic lab in Chicago to see how Special Agents use CSI technology to uncover even the most hidden evidence of tax fraud. From celebrities to the working class, no one is immune from an IRS investigator. Whether you think cheating is right or wrong, with hundreds of billions at stake, the IRS has a job to do.
Program Highlights:
- Tax Evaders. Telecom entrepreneur Walter Anderson is labeled as one of America’s biggest tax evaders. The IRS arrested him on charges of criminal tax evasion and fraud. They claim he transferred millions in profits to offshore companies without paying taxes. Anderson maintains his innocence and fights the IRS claims in tax court.
- IRS Criminal Division. A special IRS Criminal Division goes after tax cheaters. Agents work undercover, conduct surveillance and serve arrest warrants. The results are impressive.
- Protesting Taxes. Across the country, groups of self proclaimed tax protestors are defying the government in plain sight, loudly proclaiming their right to pay no tax. The movement has attracted thousands of followers, and even convinced film star Wesley Snipes.
