Taxes

DIONNE WARWICK HAS A HISTORY OF FINANCIAL HIJINKS

Don’t waste your sympathy on singer Dionne Warwick, who declared bankruptcy this week. Dionne was the Whitney Houston of her day and had 56 hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1962 and 1998. She was spokesperson for The Psychic Friends Network, and their TV ads with 900 numbers bilked gullible viewers out of untold millions from 1991 to 1998. Dionne earned well over 3 million dollars a year for that job. Later she founded The Warwick Foundation supposedly to raise money for AIDS, but an investigation proved that 90% of the money donated actually went to pay for Dionne’s fancy lifestyle and salaries for employees. The foundation dissolved in disgrace. Dionne owes the IRS and the state of California ten million dollars in taxes and we can only hope she pays up like the rest of us have to.

WEALTHY FRENCH CELEBRITIES IRATE OVER 75% INCOME TAX ARE LEAVING!

We can’t help but wonder if there will be a mass exodus of celebrities and other wealthy citizens in France because their new 75% wealth tax starts next year. Anyone earning over $1.3 million is subject to the new tax and these taxpayers are outraged. (And we thought WE had it bad here!) Iconic actor Gerard Depardieu loudly attacked the government for the new tax and announced he is moving to Belgium. He was heavily criticized by politicians and the media. Karl Lagerfeld also voiced his anger and we can imagine many in the fashion industry are also upset. Alain Delon and Johnny Hallyday successfully relocated out of the country under the radar.

SCIENTOLOGY IS FAR TOO WELCOME IN LOS ANGELES

Our suspicions are confirmed. The nations largest independent TV station, KCET, has sold their Hollywood studio lot to the “church” of Scientology. What’s horrible about this is the fact that the nearly five acre studio will no longer be paying taxes to the city or anyone else. Even worse are the plans that the cult has for the facility. They will use it to “deliver their message to the largest international audience possible.” We will be bombarded with Scientology TV shows, “informative” films, and internet content to further the creepy organization’s “purposes.” Governor Brown – can’t you so something about TAXING these people? (Above: Celebrity Center headquarters)

ANDERSON COOPER IS DISHING THE DIRT ON SCIENTOLOGY

Ten or fifteen years ago, Anderson Cooper probably wouldn’t have had the nerve to “investigate” the church of Scientology on his CNN show. If HE didn’t chicken out under pressure, chances are the fearful network would have silenced him. Those were the glory days of Scientology when they successfully threatened and pressured journalists who dared to write about them. Any writer who succeeded in getting their investigative piece written, lived to regret it, due to lawsuits and job loss. The church is not as powerful or threatening as it used to be. We LOVE CNN for doing this and hope it stirs up problems that lead to the “church” paying taxes like any other profitable organization. The amount of real estate they own in Los Angeles is criminal – since it is all untaxed. And of course we, the taxpayers, have to make up the difference. Anderson Cooper’s report is in five parts, airing every night this week.