Tax Dodging happens in every country, as the revelations of “Panama Papers” have made clear, but recently voters have become less and less patient with individuals and companies who cheat and do not pay their fair share of taxes. What constitutes tax dodging?
Companies that Cheat on their Taxes
In Europe, Starbucks, Amazon, Apple, and Fiat have all been investigated by the European Commission to see if they are cheating on their taxes, or taking unreasonable “tax avoidance” measures (see below). The European Tax Commission is setting new rules to reduce the number of tax loopholes.
“Tax avoidance is legal but means using tax laws in a way that was not intended when they were written. You’re OK by the letter of the law if you’re avoiding tax, but you’re not playing fair. ”
Celebrities and Politicians who Cheat on their Taxes
There has been many cases of famous people who got caught at cheating on their taxes and some actually went to jail because of their illegal activities. For instance, American celebrity lifestyle TV personality Martha Stewart went to jail for 5 months in 2004 and has since made an impressive come-back in popularity.
- What European Personalities are famous for tax dodging?
- Are these individuals still popular with the public?
- How about politicians who get caught at tax dodging? Does it compromise their future election prospects?