She Had A Yen Not To Pay Tax?
A Japanese housewife who made 400 million yen (which, using today’s conversion rate is $3,452,383.93 US) trading in foreign exchange markets was fined today for evading tax. The woman was estimated to have evaded 139 million yen ($1,200,091.07) US in income taxes. The 60 year old Tokyo woman, Yukiko Ikebe, received a suspended jail sentence and a 34 million yen fine ($293,459.45 US).
The woman used various schemes, including reporting trades with other relatives’ names, to avoid paying tax. She apparently felt that paying tax on the gains were unfair, since she also had losses. And, according to court documents, she “spent the money on kimonos and jewelry.”
Well, as long as it was spent on kimonos and jewelry! It’s not like it was spent on shoes or something!
Now I want to know how expensive those kimonos are…
“She apparently felt that paying tax on the gains were unfair…” Interesting logic. I wonder if she still expects the police to show up if her home is burglarized. Or the fire department to arrive promptly to extinguish her burning dwelling. I wonder how she’d feel if the Tokyo city government decided that it was “unfair” to maintain the roads just so everyone could drive on them.
It seems most of the people trying to get out of paying taxes are the very folks who’d perish first if civilization sort of ran out of money.
“Taxes: the price you pay for not living in a cave and eating carrion.”
PS perhaps that could go on a t-shirt, taxgirl…