From the category archives:

pop culture

Is Michael Jackson’s Doctor in Trouble with the IRS?

24 July 2009

Rumors are swirling around the possibility of manslaughter charges may be filed in the death of pop superstar Michael Jackson. Jackson’s personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, is considered a “person of interest” in the case but has not been charged.
Raids at Dr. Murray’s office and storage unit in Houston on Wednesday raised eyebrows. [...]

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Oakland Votes to Tax Marijuana

22 July 2009

A measure to tax the gross receipts of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in Oakland passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday. The vote makes Oakland the first city in the US to tax marijuana.
The tax was put on the ballot after a considerable push from the medical community. City Council jumped on the bandwagon, too, when [...]

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“Just Tax” Parody Meant to Encourage the GOP

21 July 2009

In more music news, CNN is reporting that this week at a GOP conference meeting, Republicans were shown the following clip of a video parody:

The video, created by Peter Cowman, a recent University of Washington grad, replaces the words in the Lady Gaga hit “Just Dance” – the refrain has been changed to “Just Tax.”
Rep. [...]

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Foxy Brown Faces Tax Liens

21 July 2009

Foxy Brown must miss being in the headlines.
Since 1997, the controversial rap artist has been in and out of court and/or police custody for various legal issues. In 1997, she was ordered to serve a suspended sentence and perform community service for spitting on hotel workers and subsequently missing a related [...]

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Judge Says No to Hatch

13 July 2009

It looks like Richard Hatch will have to hitch his star to some other quick scheme to win a million dollars: he won’t be heading to Samoa. US District Judge William Smith has determined that Hatch will not be able to leave home confinement early to travel to Samoa for a special anniversary [...]

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Richard Hatch Wants to Leave the Country

12 July 2009

The first million dollar winner of Survivor – and convicted tax evader – Richard Hatch has asked a federal judge to let him leave the country. Hatch, who was convicted in 2006 of tax evasion charges, is serving the end of his sentence at home in Rhode Island. That creates a problem for [...]

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LA City Attorney Says Taxpayers Should Not Pay for Michael Jackson Memorial

9 July 2009

First, the good news: the memorial service for Michael Jackson did not cost the City of Los Angeles the $4 million originally reported.
Now, the bad news: the service still cost the City more than $1 million. Initial reports put the cost of additional security and trash pick up for the private event [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: Michael Jackson’s Funeral

8 July 2009

One of my recent “ask the taxgirl” questions involved whether Michael Jackson’s funeral expenses were deductible. When I paused to consider whether I wanted to post about Michael, a colleague kindly offered to address the issue on his blog at sofloridaestateplanning.com. The blog is authored by David Shulman, an attorney located in South [...]

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Lights, Cameras, Tax Burden Shifting

25 June 2009

The highest grossing movie of all time is Titanic, which has amassed nearly $2 billion in revenue in just 12 years. The five Harry Potter films, all released within the last 10 years, have grossed nearly $5 billion in revenue. It’s clear that even in an age where there are other [...]

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Ask the taxgirl: The President and Income Taxes

20 May 2009

Taxpayer asks:
Does the President have to pay income tax?

I get that question a lot. And this week, I also received this question:

Taxpayer asks:
Does the President pay income taxes to every state he visits on official business? This question occurred to me because of the pending Mobile Workforce legislation. Also, is withholding taken [...]

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