Paul L. Caron
Dean
Pepperdine Caruso
School of Law
Celebrity Tax Lore
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The Code and Regs Find a Home
I previously blogged Sarah Lawsky's (George Washington) photo essay on her unsuccessful effort to move the 8-volume complete CCH tax code and regs at a yard sale — she first asked $1 for the $270.50 set, and then couldn't even give it away! Sarah reports that they have "found a happy home–indeed, perhaps the best home…
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Moneyball: The Movie
As regular readers of this blog know, I have long been intrigued by the application of Moneyball principles to law schools, beginning with my article, What Law Schools Can Learn from Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics, 82 Tex. L. Rev. 1483 (2004), which helped spawn the Moneylaw blog. I previously blogged the exciting news that a…
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New Details Emerge of Scientology-IRS Settlement
One of the enduring tax mysteries is the 26-year battle between the Church of Scientology and the IRS (documented here), culminating in a 1993 settlement (during Fred Goldberg's stint as Commissioner) in which the IRS agreed to grant tax exempt status to the church (Rev. Rul. 93-73, 1993-2 C.B. 75) , which in turn agreed to drop its multi-front…
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(Not) Selling the Code and Regs at a Yard Sale
Check out Sarah Lawsky's (George Washington) photo essay on her unsuccessfull effort to move the 8-volume complete CCH tax code and regs at a yard sale – she first asked $1 for the $270.50 set, and then couldn't even give it away! (Hat Tip: Law Librarian Blog.)
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Funding Health Care by Taxing Cialis Ads
Bloomberg News: House Considering $37 Billion Drug Tax, Rangel Says, by Ryan J. Donmoyer: The House is considering imposing a $37 billion tax on drugmakers by denying deductions for prescription-drug advertising, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel said. As lawmakers seek ways to pay for a health-care overhaul, “one thing that’s not off the…
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Stanford Law Grad-Call Girl Lacks Resources to Satisfy Guilty Plea in Tax Evasion Case
I previously blogged (here and here) the case of 2001 Stanford Law Grad Cristina Schultz (now Cristina Warthen after her marriage to David Warthen, co-founder of the online search engine Ask Jeeves, now known as Ask.com), who pled guilty in January 2009 in California federal district court to failing to pay taxes on $133,717 she earned…
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UCLA Body Parts Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years for Tax Evasion
More fodder for the it always comes down to taxes file: a former mortuary worker convicted of carving up and selling cadavers donated to the UCLA medical school was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday and ordered to pay more than $1.7 million. Jurors last month had found Ernest Nelson, 51, guilty of eight…
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Monopoly — Income Tax Edition
Check out Monopoly: Income Tax Edition: This is a fairly easy Monopoly game expansion to teach youngsters the principles of filing and paying income tax. It includes an income tax form on which players keep track of income and deductions, figure and pay their income tax at the end of each circuit of the board.…
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Judge Refuses to Revoke Marion Barry’s Probation for Continued Failure to File Tax Returns After U.S. Attorney Fails to Call Any Witnesses at Hearing
I previously blogged Marion Barry Owes $277k in Back Taxes; Government Seeks Revocation of His Probation (March 30, 2009): In a scathing pretrial memorandum, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor alleges that former D.C. Mayor (and current D.C. Council member) Marion Barry owes more than $277,000 in unpaid federal taxes, penalties, and interest. In addition, the memorandum…
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Teenager Who Auctioned Her Virginity for $14k May Lose Half to Tax Man
Daily Mail: Teen Who Auctioned Her Virginity for £8,000 May Lose Half… Because Prostitutes in Germany Are Taxed at 50% of Earnings: Tax authorities in Germany are poised to claim 50% of the money that a teenage student earned for 'auctioning' her virginity because they claim it was "tantamount to prostitution." Romanian-born Alina Percea, who…
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More From The Stand-Up Economist
I have previously blogged (here and here) the comedy stylings of Yoram Bauman, Ph.D., the "World's First and Only Stand Up Economist." Yesterday, he posted his appearance at the January 2009 meeting of the American Economic Association:
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IRS Sues Robin Givens for $300k in Back Taxes
The IRS has sued actress Robin Givens, ex-wife of boxer Mike Tyson, for $300,000 in back taxes, interest, and penalties for eight of the twelve calendar years through 2007. Ms Givens also has state tax difficulties, with tax liens filed against her in California, Florida, and New York. Forbes Web CPA In unrelated news, press reports today say…
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Circular 230 Lament
I previously blogged the musical stylings of Tennessee Tax Lawyer Anne M. McKinney on her Ballad of Timothy Geithner, which has attracted over 1 million views on YouTube. Here is her Circular 230 Lament: (Hat Tip: InstaPundit.)
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Andy Rooney Supports Public Disclosure of Tax Returns
On April 15, I blogged Joe Thorndike's proposal advocating public disclosure of all tax returns. Andy Rooney came out in favor of the idea on his 60 Minutes segment on CBS: (Hat Tip: tax.com.)
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Michael Caine on British Tax Rates: “At 51%, I’m Out of Here”
From the Telegraph: His name, as they say, is Michael Caine. And he's not a happy bunny. The 76-year-old film star has revealed in colourful terms that he has had it, and will leave Britain if taxes get any higher. "The Government has taken tax up to 50%, and if it goes to 51 I…
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More on Bono’s Tax Hypocrisy
I previously have blogged (see list below the fold) the flap over Bono's arranging his music business affairs to escape Irish taxes. Here is the latest chapter: What Bono Says and What He Does; There’s a Well-Documented Reason the Do-Gooder Can’t Put His Money Where His Mouth Is: After playing the Obama inauguration a couple…
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All She Wants to Do Is Tax
Chuck DeVore, who is running for Barbara Boxer's senate seat, posted a video on YouTube, All She Wants to Do Is Tax, a funny parody of Eagles founder Don Henley's hit song, All She Wants to Do is Dance. CNN reports that Henley sued DeVore in federal district court in California. (Hat Tip: Ann Murphy.)
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Survivor Argentina: Richard Hatch Wants to Serve Supervised Release in Buenos Aires
Richard Hatch, the first winner of the CBS reality TV show "Survivor," has filed a petition seeking to alter the terms of his supervised release from prison where he is serving his conviction for failing to pay taxes on his $1 million prize. United States v. Hatch, No. 06-1902 (1st Cir. 2/1/08). Hatch is scheduled to…
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Martha Stewart’s Daughter Sues CPA After Getting $1m Tax Bill
New York Post: Martha's Kid Paid $1 Mil for Tax "Goof": Martha Stewart's daughter had her own run-in with the feds – she had to shell out almost $900,000 in back taxes and a $110,000 fine after an IRS audit, court papers show. Alexis Stewart acknowledged being audited in a lawsuit against Michael Mirras, the CPA…
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California Celebrity Tax Deadbeats
Today's L.A. Times: 3 Celebrities on List of California Tax Evaders: Dionne Warwick, Burt Reynolds and Sinbad are among 250 people with the largest delinquent income tax bills, officials say. O.J. Simpson, now in prison, is taken off the list. … Simpson was on last year's list, with a bill of $1.5 million. The onetime…
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Court Allows Wesley Snipes to Leave U.S. for 5 Months Pending Appeal of Tax Conviction
Following up on my recent posts (here and here), the federal district court in Ocala, Florida has granted Wesley Snipes' motion seeking permission to travel to Nambia from April 5 to April 29 (to film the movie Gallowwalker) and to Italy from May 4 to August 15 (to film the movie Game of Death) while…