The Tax Man Loves Celebrities

Can you hear it? Do you feel that? It's the same sound we hear in the middle of April, year after year--It's the tax man and he's coming for his due!

Taxes are the great social leveler. Earners of all walks, from rich glamorous celebs to the guys at Mickey Ds scooping your fries, hate having to pay their taxes. For honest people, tax season represents at least a minimum level of stress. Even for those lucky enough to get a refund, there's always that uneasy feeling that until the money is safely in hand and tucked away, there's a chance something could go wrong. For those who have to cut a check to Uncle Sam, they cross their fingers that they did the math right as they send the payment off at the very last minute.

For cheaters, there's a much different feeling--that hollow feeling in the gut that comes with committing a crime. Some are cheating on their taxes, fudging math and receipts to hide their money from the man. Others may simply not file at all. Sure, it may be a lesser crime, but it’s a favorite crime of celebrities everywhere.

Jaime Pressly currently has a tax bill of nearly $640,000 and is the subject of tax liens from the IRS in a bid to get their money from her earnings.

Wesley Snipes was so guilty of not paying his taxes that he's busy doing a three-year stretch in federal prison. He may still have a $13 million tab waiting for him when he gets out.

Val Kilmer is a repeat offender. He was slapped with a tax lien for a cool half-mill in December, which has got to sting considering he'd just paid off a $538,000 tab from previous tax liens.

Ever wonder why Nicolas Cage keeps making crappy movies? It's because he owes at least $6 million in unpaid taxes from 2008. On top of that he's another $6.6 million in debt. The IRS accused Cage of falsely writing off $3.3 million in personal charges to his production company. It's not looking so good for Nick Cage.

Perhaps the most famous scofflaw is Willie Nelson. Back in 1990 the IRS gave Willie the middle finger by way of a $16.7 million tax bill for unpaid taxes, fines, and interest. He got creative and released an album titled The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories and set it up so all of the proceeds went directly to the IRS.

The IRS have extended this year's tax deadline until midnight local time on Monday, April 18^th. Handle your business. You don't want to wind up in one of these columns!

About the Author: When he’s not out skiing the Utah powder, Greg Buckskin is a writer and blogger for Comcast.USDirect.com – home to Comcast Deals.