Tax Avoidance: Only The Little People Pay Taxes II

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss."—Robert A. Heinlein

Tax Avoidance: Only The Little People Pay Taxes was my July 30, 2010 article at New Hampshire Insider detailing how Massachusetts Senator John F. Kerry, a/k/a, "Mr. Heinz," saved himself over a half million dollars in sales taxes otherwise owing to the Bay State had he moored or docked his newly purchased Yacht in his home state. Instead, Mr. Heinz docked in Portsmouth Rhode Island. The savings: >$500,000 in Sales and Luxury Taxes and $70,000 in Massachusetts excise taxes.

As I stated at the time, I thought the decision was a sound one and economically advantageous. In the decision itself, I could find no fault. Where I had the problem with Mr. Heinz is his constant ubiquitous diatribe about, "The rich needing to pay their fair share." John Kerry: just another tax and spend liberal.

Now enter Al Gore. Another who likes to caterwaul endlessly about the, "Rich needing to pay their fair share. Then the sale of CURRENT to Al {death to America}Jazzera TV emerges. And What does Al Gore do? He tries with haste to rush the transaction through before the first of the year, that he might, make more money and not have a higher tax consequence.

Now let's be clear. I am not criticizing folks for Tax avoidance. In fact, I deem anybody who can legally minimize their tax liability, a Patriot. I mean, why give the government more money via the Infernal Revenue Circus? On the other hand, it seems disingenuous for "mantra-bleating" liberals like John Kerry and Al Gore to insist on the Rich paying their fair share, then avoiding taxes.

But then there are the outright Tax Cheats:

• Wesley Snipes was jailed for tax evasion.
• Nicholas Cage,
• Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee),
• Melissa Etheridge,
• Annie Leibovitz,
• Luciano Pavarotti
• Martha Stewart

Perhaps the late Leona Helmsley was right after all: "Only the little people pay taxes..."

CROSS-POSTED AT GRANITE GROK

Comments

[Rick Barnes]

"Now let's be clear. I am not criticizing folks for Tax avoidance. In fact, I deem anybody who can legally minimize their tax liability, a Patriot"

Rick, I would amend your statement as there are two different types of tax avoiders (and I too do not lump out right cheats into this either).

Group 1 are the small business owners or other "rich" people who use loop holes to pay as little as possible. I agree these people are doing nothing wrong.

Group 2 are the people like Michael Moore and the Hollywood millionaires who have been screaming that the rich should pay their fair share but then when Washington passed the recent fiscal cliff tax hike had their politician friends who's campaigns they funded put in loop holes exempting money generated from "film or TV".
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/01/01/hollywood-loophole-fiscal-cliff
When they get laws specifically crafted for them to avoid paying while demanding others pay their "fair share", that's where I have a huge problem.

Its funny that the same Democrats who argued with me prior to the fiscal cliff deal because I supported the Republican plan to close loop holes instead of increasing taxes (and clearly creating new loop holes) are now completely silent about the new loopholes that allow the Hollywood crew to avoid increases while over 70% of Americans including those who aren't "the rich" are seeing less in their paychecks because of the tax hikes.

[Rick Olson]

I thought that was the point I made, Rick