Somehow we missed this last week but whatevs. State taxing authorities are apparently getting the swing of this whole Internet phenomenon.
We really thought the IRS had taken their game to the next level by putting videos on YouTube but States are really getting crafty by using social networking sites and Google to catch tax scofflaws.
Continued, after the jump
WSJ:
In Minnesota, authorities were able to levy back taxes on the wages of a long-sought tax evader after he announced on MySpace that he would be returning to his home town to work as a real-estate broker and gave his employer’s name. The state collected several thousand dollars, the full amount due.
This has us a little concerned. One minute you’re updating your Facebook status as “Just won $500 at my weekly poker game,” just to rub it in everyone’s face, and the next thing you know you’re filing an amended return because some jerk you met at a party, and for some reason added as a friend, happens to be an IRS agent and takes his job really seriously. Is no cash-only operation sacred?
And it doesn’t matter if you’re not into online social networking:
Now, when a tax dodger can’t be found, said Nebraska tax official Steven Schroeder, agents often turn to Google. One agent collected $30,000 of unpaid tax from a resident after a Google search found him listed as a high-ranking local marketing rep for a national firm.
Face it people. One way or another, you’re going to participate in your patriotic duty.
Is ‘Friending’ in Your Future? Better Pay Your Taxes First [WSJ]