(Newswire.net — September 2, 2014) —
The federal tax collector placed a $2.5 million lien against Chris Tucker in Georgia last week, but it was just a “technical requirement” before a settlement could become official, Tucker’s representative said to CNN.
“Chris Tucker has not incurred any new tax years,” the representative said. “The current lien filing by the IRS was the result of an audit that lasted for four years which stemmed from poor accounting and business management.”
“Representatives for Mr. Tucker reached a resolution with the IRS on Friday, and his case has been settled,” the representative said.
A TMZ report that Tucker owed $14 million to the IRS was inaccurate, the rep said.
But he’s not the only one. Vanessa Williams may soon be writing a very big check. The IRS has filed a tax lien against the actress, saying that she owes $369,249 to the federal government for her earnings in 2011.
According to USA Today, celebrities are often in debt to the tax man.
On April 2th, superstar Lionel Richie performed a song from his smash new album Tuskegee to wild applause on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. That same day, the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $1.1 million lien on the singer for income taxes allegedly unpaid in 2010.
USA Today examined public records and found more than 50 people prominent in the entertainment industry who owe at least $50,000 in back taxes to the federal government, according to IRS tax liens. Many also are behind on state income taxes, according to legal filings.
The tax-challenged include some tabloid favorites: Lindsay Lohan owes $230,904, IRS filings show. Others are respected performers, athletes, and award-winning screenwriters or directors several years removed from their last big success.
Actress Sally Kellerman, nominated for an Oscar for her role as “Hot Lips” in the 1970 movie MASH, owes $769,861 in back taxes to the federal government, plus $201,311 to the state of California, according to federal and state liens.
Musicians appear especially prone to tax problems. Singer Roberta Flack, who had era-defining hits in the early 1970s, has $156,824 in federal tax liens. A lien filed in December will be paid off in full April 24, and a payment arrangement has been reached on a smaller lien filed in February 2011, says Paul Semmel, her accountant.
The IRS filed a $492,583 tax lien in December against a hot couple — R&B artist Robin Thicke and his actress wife, Paula Patton (Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol).
“When they were made aware of it, they immediately paid it,” says their publicist, Amanda Silverman. The IRS, however, hasn’t released the lien, a process that can take 30 days, states USA Today.