Only Little People Pay Taxes
THIS notorious statement by Leona Helmsley, a New York billionaire nicknamed 'queen of mean' actually landed her in jail. She claimed expenses for remodelling her mansion as business expenses and evaded income tax. In the case against her, one of her housekeepers testified that when he told her that she must be paying a lot of taxes, she replied, “ We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes. "
But when the Court found her guilty, she pleaded for mercy, “ I'm guilty of a serious crime. I'm more humiliated and ashamed than anybody could imagine. I feel as though I have been living through a nightmare for three years”.
But the judge was not convinced. He told her, “You bear full responsibility for this scheme. It was carried out under your direct orders for your benefit. Unlike many defendants who come before the court, you were not driven to this crime by financial need. Rather, your conduct was the product of naked greed. Throughout its course you persisted in the arrogant belief that you were above the law. Moreover, since the indictment and the trial, you have displayed no remorse or contrition. I trust that the sentence today will make it very clear that no person, no matter how wealthy or prominent, stands above the law” .
She served 18 months in jail and after her release in 1994 became very generous with her wealth and when she died in 2007, most of her huge wealth went to several charitable trusts.
Even the big people have to sometimes pay taxes – in USA