Monday is the last day to get your taxes in, prompting people across the nation to run here, there and everywhere trying to decipher those pesky 1040’s that seem to get more and more complicated as the years go on.
PHOTO: Blowing Money Fast, Billionaire Balling
But what’s keeping you from throwing what has to be the world’s most unnecessarily complicated, forced donation form into the garbage? The consequences for what happens when you don’t pay like Pamela Anderson who owes $493,000 in back taxes and currently has a lien on her home.
In light of that, here’s a list of 10 celebrities and politicians who owe the government a lot of money.
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The Osbournes
Sharon’s love of plastic surgery and shopping is no secret, but she may have to cut it back a bit to pay back the $1.7 million she and Ozzy owe in back taxes. According to the L.A. County Recorder’s Office, the U.S. government has put a lien on one of their homes in L.A. until they do.
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Sinbad
The greatest part about Sinbad’s tax evasion is that Sinbad apparently filed for tax returns but failed to actually pay it. Now the amount he owes is over $8 million. And now the IRS is suing to take away a home he gave to his brother. Smooth Sinbad, smooth.
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Nicolas Cage
Cage apparently owes over $6 million in state and federal tax. A lien was filed against him and his wife. Paying $100,000 per month, including 4 percent interest compounded monthly, it would take Cage 275 months to pay off his debt. Good luck with that Nick.
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Floyd Mayweather
In August of 2009 Floyd Mayweather owed more than $4.5 million in back taxes. So what does the IRS do? Order the Nevada Athletic Commission to deduct the amount from Mayweather’s $10 million from his fight purse. Mayweather suddenly became very interested in paying his taxes and handed over $5.6 million.
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Chris Tucker
From 2001 to 2006 Christ Tucker accrued $11 million in tax debt. Few of us get that kind of money from a lifetime of working. This isn’t the first time the IRS has been after Tucker. In 2009 he had a $3.5 million lien filed against him by California state tax authorities. No word on where he’s at now with the debt.
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Annie Leibovitz
Leibovitz’s tale is actually one of the sadder ones in this peice. After her partner, Susan Sontag passed away, Annie was faced with huge inheritance taxes which she would never have had, had the two been allowed to marry. As a result, Annie was forced to sell the rights to ALL her photography to pay off her tax debt.
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Bolly “Bo” Johnson
Democratic State Speaker of Florida Bolly “Bo” Johnson should’ve been nicknamed Bolly “Mo” Johnson, for “Mo money, Mo problems” because that’s exactly what he got when he was found to be on the payroll of Bally Casino taking in $250,000 on the sly and accruing $500,000 in unpaid taxes. He got two years prison for that stunt.
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Jack Abramoff
Jack Abramoff might as well be the poster boy for political corruption. A Republican lobbyist, Abramoff, in addition to the $1.7 million he owed the IRS in taxes, was accused of conspiracy, mail fraud, and as well as being involved with shady American Indian casino contracts. Seeing as this was in 2004 that he was convicted, he should be finishing up his six year prison soonish.
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Ken Jenne
You’d think a man like Ken Jenne, a Florida State Senator and later Sheriff, would be the kind of person to obey the law, considering as a legislature and law enforcement officer he’s damn well forcing others to. But perhaps that’s naive of us to think. At least, that’s what the $100,000 he owed the IRS in back taxes tells us. At least he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and was forced to resign as Sheriff.
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Vincent Leibell
Considering how many celebrities in this post owe literally several million dollars, owing a meesly $43,000 doens’t seem that bad. But let’s put it into perspective. At $100 a textbook $43,000 adds up to 430 textbooks, which at this point in time could prove pretty useful for schools and which is exactly why Vincent Leibell, a New York Republican State Senator, is facing up to 2 years in prison for his tax evasion.
