Happy Tax Day: Slideshow Of Famous Cheats

[Carole D.]

Last year, Americans owed $345 billion more than they did in 2007, amounting to almost 14% of federal revenues, according to the IRS.

So, it's not surprising that more than a few celebrities are among the millions who've chosen to avoid paying taxes over the years.

From Al Capone to Wesley Snipes, here's a slideshow of famous tax cheats:

[Carole D.]

[Carole D.]

After being pursued by the FBI for years, legendary mob kingpin Al Capone was finally jailed for failing to pay taxes for four years. In 1931, he was sentenced to 11 years and an $80,000 fine. Capone famously joked that he couldn't be prosecuted because "the government can't collect legal taxes on illegal money."

[Carole D.]

Richard Hatch, the first "Survivor" winner failed to pay taxes on his $1 million grand prize. He was convicted in 2006 of tax evasion and was sentenced to 51 months in prison, plus three years of supervised release after serving his sentence.

[Carole D.]

Leona Helmsley, the late "Queen of Mean," was found guilty of tax fraud in 1992 and spent four years in prison after claiming $2.6 million in phony business expenses. During her trial, a witness testified that Helmsley once said: "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."

[Carole D.]

Currently serving a 25-year sentence, former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski was indicted for failing to pay New York sales taxes on $13 million worth of paintings for his Manhattan apartment.

[Carole D.]

In 1974, Richard Pryor served 10 days in a Los Angeles county jail for failing to pay taxes, telling the judge at his trial: "You know, I forgot."

[Carole D.]

Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison in 2007 following his conviction on three misdemeanor tax charges. Snipes was accused of failing to file tax returns from 1999 through 2004. Snipes allegedly tried getting fraudulent tax refunds using the "861 argument," a theory that domestic income is not taxable (which is commonly used by tax protesters).

[Carole D.]

Film legend Sophia Loren served an 18-day sentence for tax evasion in an Italian prison in 1982.

[Carole D.]

Willie Nelson owed $16.7 million in back taxes, leading the IRS in 1990 to confiscate and auction off his assets.

[Carole D.]

A Dozen Dumb Taxes (SLIDESHOW)

It is fair to say no one likes paying taxes, especially when those taxes strike one as strange, unfair or just plain confusing. Below is a slideshow of 12 dumb taxes, some currently in use and some from eras long since passed, that serve as a reminder for why sometimes taxes just don't make any sense.

[Carole D.]

Being rewarded for helping bring world peace or writing a great novel can cost you. The "Nobel prize" tax--in reality it also applies to other prizes such as the Pulitzer--is a tax levied against the money a prizewinner receives. Unless, that is, he or she chooses to give it all to charity.

[Carole D.]

ILLEGAL DRUG TAX
Often referred to as the "crack tax," this tax targets possession of illegal drugs such as marijuana and ****. Over 20 states currently have such taxes on the books. When you pay the tax in Tennessee, you even receive stamps to attach to your illegal substances as proof of payment. And, not to worry, you don't have to identify yourself in order to pay the tax. Still, do people voluntarily pay the tax, thus admitting to possession? It appears not often, but Tennessee did collect $1.8 million from the tax in 2006; however much of that came from confiscated drugs on which, alas, taxes hadn't been paid.

[Carole D.]

BEARD TAX
Tsar Peter I was one of history’s great tax enthusiasts. His taste in taxes was fairly eccentric, and he is know to have taxed everything from beehives to beards. In an effort to regulate his countrymen’s appearance, Peter the Great introduced a special tax on the latter item in 1705. With the exception of the clergy, anyone with a beard was required to pay for the right to sport facial hair.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/a-dozen-dumb-taxes_n_186749.html