The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "tax cheats" ...
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Fraud on the Job
KING 5 dedicated nearly a year to dig into the complex world of the federal minority contracting program. The program is intended to remedy past and current discrimination against minority and women-owned contracting businesses who want a shot at working on federal highway projects. But instead of fostering equal opportunity, KING found staggering fraud and abuse in the taxpayer-funded program. The investigative series titled “Fraud on the Job" was born. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is responsible for administering the program. WSDOT contracts with a small state agency, the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE) to certify which contractors qualify as "disadvantaged business enterprises" or DBEs. They also make sure that once in, the companies aren’t cheating or becoming too big to qualify. The state’s share of billions of federal highway funds comes with some strings attached, including a requirement that a certain percentage of money spent on transportation projects be reserved for minority-owned firms. The results of the “Fraud on the Job” series were swift and extraordinary. Two days after the first story aired, the governor ordered the Washington State Patrol to conduct a criminal fraud investigation. She also ordered a top-to- bottom review of OMWBE. Two weeks later, the governor asked the director of OMWBE to resign. Another top manager quit and another was fired. Two of the companies KING exposed as defrauding the government were removed from the DBE program by the state. State and federal legislation is now being drafted to stop the cheating. And now the FBI and the Inspector General of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation are investigating.
Tags: fraud; government; tax; taxpayer; fund
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Almost Haven: The Increasing Globalization of Financial Crime and Tax Evasion
Four years after 9/11, dirty money is more prevalent than ever. Tax cheats use the same methods that terrorists use to hide money. Everyone is playing the game, including big respected companies like Microsoft, our biggest banks, law firms and accountants. The ability of the US government to combat this traffic is remarkably weak- - probably in part because much of the problem originates in the US itself.
Tags: illicit cash; tax shelter; tax cheats; banks
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Federal Tax Cheats
This investigation found tens of thousands of employees of the federal government did not pay their taxes. This accounts for $2 billion in unpaid taxes. Employees worked for the house of representatives, the senate, the department of veterans affairs, the department of homeland security and even in the white house. 32 thousand employees of the U.S. Postal Service alone owed more than $200 million.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; FOIA; taxes; federal employee; house of representatives; senate; department of veterans affairs; department of homeland security; white house; tax evasion; postal service
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Workers: We Were Cheated Out of Pay. Restaurant Cleaning Company Says Pay Deductions Legal. Labor Experts Not So Sure.
This investigation found that "CanAmera, a Canadian-based company that cleans restaurants in four states and Ontario, violated a host of state and federal labor laws, including laws governing minimum wage, overtime, a day of rest and federal and tax withholdings. The company also illegally withheld money from workers' paychecks. The company hired worked with limited English skills with promises of a good job. But, in fact, the mostly Spanish speaking workers found themselves fighting for money they said was owed to them."
Tags: taxes; pay withholdings; wages; Wal-Mart
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Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich - and Cheat Everybody Else
This in- depth examination of tax laws is based on analysis of government statistical reports, court records, SEC disclosure forms and other documents. It proves that America's tax laws are unfair.
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Tax Cheats
The Times reports on how companies and rich families use off-shore services -- such as registering in Bermuda, under the advice of Ernst & Young -- to avoid paying taxes. The stories reveal that the federal government has lost billions of dollars each year in evaded taxes. As a result of the uproar, many Republicans in Congress have broken with the party leadership and have voted to tighten the legal loophole.
Tags: federal contracts; Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); offshore companies; Justice Department; tax treaties
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April Fools
Despite the proliferation of information on the Web, it is still hard to tell if your accountant is a cheat or not. Smart Money examines why this is and how to find out this information despite the difficulties.
Tags: taxes; accounting; SEC; IRS
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The Cheating of America: How Tax Avoidance and Evasion by the Super Rich Are Costing The Country Billions -- and What You Can Do About It
The book deals with the $200 billion in taxes the federal government fails to collect each year from individuals and corporations failing to do their share. The book examines legal (tax avoidance), illegal (tax evasion) and quasi-legal (tax "avoision") methods of not pay taxes.The authors used the IRS's Statistics of Income and Taxpayer Compliance Measuring Project reports, U.S. Federal Tax records, Treasury Department studies, FDIC reports and other court documents to do their reporting.
Tags: BOOK; taxes; tax evasion; U.S. Tax Court; IRS; FDIC
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Are You a Chump: Guam trusts. Irish leasing companies. Phony deductions. It's enough to make an honest taxpayer wonder.
"In December 1998 FORBES shone a bright light on the murky world of corporate tax shelters, which were being hustled to large companies by supposedly respectable firms. Now the Internal Revenue Service has an even bigger problem: the marketing of push-the-edge and over-the-edge shelters to the masses. It isn't just the promotion of outrageous shelters that is tearing this country's tax system apart. It is also the proliferation of conventional cheating ... All told -- shady shelters and good old-fashioned fudging -- the tax cheating appears to be costing the Treasury well above $200 billion a year, a devastating sum in relation to the $1.1 trillion of income tax collections."
Tags: 501(c)(15); tax auditor; tax protesting
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Tax Cheats
WSB-TV investigates the number of Georgia citizens who are behind in filing their taxes. The WSB-TV investigation "raises questions about whether the state is doing enough to rein in the cheats."