Wesley Snipes saga

[Fuzzy Faced Leader]

Your judged by a jury of your peers. Maybe the jury members don't like paying taxes, have been audited or scared by the IRS, and based their decision on sympathy and revenge.

[bertrans]

Sorry I got in late. Snipes, we now know, has been acquitted of conspiracy to commit fraud.
What struck me was the term used by the New York Times and the Journal to describe his underlying offense: 'tax denial'...
...Originally, they were 'illegal tax protestors'; then they became 'frivolous filers'..and now, they're 'tax deniers'. I don't know what that means.

[joanmcq]

Quatloos has been calling them 'tax deniers'. Because they are not protesting taxes as much as denying that they have to pay taxes. Frivolous filers only applies if you actually filed the return.

[Fuzzy Faced Leader]

Maybe its a just verdict.

After all, if your dumb as a rock, and get duped into fraudulant tax tactics, maybe you shouldn't be persecuted for it. Listening to the wrong tax professionals isn't a crime. This is a common theme being developed by the IRS, in the new Circular 230 standards. If the return is wrong, procecute the preparer, not the taxpayer.

[bertrans]

Quatloos has been calling them 'tax deniers'. Because they are not protesting taxes as much as denying that they have to pay taxes. Frivolous filers only applies if you actually filed the return.

Thank you. That makes good sense.

Now, once again, my ignorance: er, what(who?) is/are 'Quatloos'? (This is really embarrassing) Wasn't there an alien monetary unit by that name in Satr Trek?

[Zee]

Veritas, joanmcq, Bee Knees, and Black Bart made me do it

My excuse to avoid any preparer penalties

[snowbird]

New scam ...

After all, if your dumb as a rock, and get duped into fraudulant tax tactics, maybe you shouldn't be persecuted for it. Listening to the wrong tax professionals isn't a crime. This is a common theme being developed by the IRS, in the new Circular 230 standards. If the return is wrong, procecute the preparer, not the taxpayer.

I think you have a new scam. 1. Find someone to fraudulent preparer your taxes ... should not be hard. 2. Act dumb as a rock and get a good lawyer. 3. Blame the tax preparer and settle for pennies on the dollar.

I doubt if he does any jail time ... and we will never know the settlement.

[joanmcq]

Quatloos

Yes, Quatloos is the imaginary monetary unit from a Star Trek episode. But it's also a website dealing with fraud, scams, and other fun stuff. www.quatloos.com I recommend it.

I did not say you could do it! Also, you might get out of jail earlier by claiming to be stupid and falling for tax scams perpetrated by someone who's advice you relied on, (he still got convicted on 3 failure to file counts) but it doesn't get you out of the tax, interest and penalties. Snipes is gonna owe millions.

[bertrans]

Thanks for the site!