Dying without a will is a great way for a celebrity to waste money on unnecessary taxes. It also means their assets can wind up with someone they never would have chosen. When Doors frontman Jim Morrison died at age 27, his estate passed to his wife, Pamela Courson. Just a few weeks after a court finalized her inheritance, she OD’d, with no will—and Morrison’s estate passed to her parents. Morrison’s mom and dad had to spend six years fighting in court for 50% of the Lizard King’s royalties.
There’s Gold in Them Thar . . . Hills?
It’s morning on January 24, 1848, and a sawmill operator notices some shiny flecks in the American River just downstream of his mill. The Gold Rush is on, and San Francisco explodes from a village of 200 to a boomtown of 36,000.
Nearly 200 years later, a new breed of San Francisco-area companies are mining a new form of gold. Except, instead of yellow metal, they’re digging for personal data. And state governments are still struggling to tax the boom. Two law school professors have just released a paper in the Notre Dame Law Review advocating one possible solution.
Their answer: a digital service tax like the one recently adopted in Maryland.
IRS Extends Tax Deadlines for Hurricane Helene Victims – Relief for Individuals and Businesses
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation across the Southeastern U.S., the IRS has announced significant tax relief for those impacted. If you’re a business or individual in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or parts of Florida, Tennessee, or Virginia, here’s what you need to know. The IRS has extended various tax filing and […]
Boring Is as Boring Does
The U.S. Constitution begins with some of the most ambitious words in the history of governance: “We the People of the United States of America, in Order to form a more perfect Union…” For over 200 years now, the Supreme Court of the United States has helped shape that effort like a river’s banks shape its flow. The Court has weighed in on some of the thorniest, most contentious issues in American life. Is “separate but equal” really equal? Does the Constitution protect a right to privacy? Where do the limits of free speech apply?
Are You Ready for Some Football?
“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.” ~ Tom Landry “Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.” ~ U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell […]
From Russia with . . . Taxes
On March 29, 2023, Russia’s Federal Security Service detained a Wall Street Journal reporter named Evan Gershkovich on trumped-up charges that he was spying on a Russian tank manufacturer for the CIA. The State Department officially designated the reporter as “wrongfully detained.” Diplomats, the Journal, and even the last remnants of Russia’s own independent press called for his release. Meanwhile, a Moscow court repeatedly extended his detention. Last month, it found him guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.