I am a fan of Lauryn Hill and Fugees music but she seems to have bought into the same type of thinking that got Wesley Snipes in trouble. She has a point about an economic system forced upon her but that is also an economic system that made her wealthy and famous in the first place. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/465175/20130507/lauryn-hill-tax-trial.htm Lauryn Hill Blames Slavery as She's Jailed for $500,000 Unpaid Tax Bill Reclusive soul superstar Lauryn Hill has been jailed over an enormous unpaid tax bill. Fugees singer Hill, 37, was sentenced to three months' jail followed by three months' home confinement for failing to pay $500,000 to the taxman in the United States. Hill claimed the sum was outstanding because she had "withdrawn from society" after alleged threats against her family. She was imprisoned after failing to pay the amount within the stipulated two-week timeframe. During her trial, Hill was ordered by the judge in Newark, New Jersey to undergo counselling because of her conspiracy theories - including that artists are being oppressed by a plot involving the military and media. Hill pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion last year. Her lawyers said she had paid more than $970,000 of an outstanding tax bill which amounted to more than $2m. Hill vanished from public life to raise her five children by Rohan Marley - the son of acclaimed reggae singer Bob - following the success of her album 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' in 1998. Shortly before she was arrested last year, Hill penned a diatribe declaiming the music industry. In the rant, Hill blasted pop music for a "climate of hostility, false entitlement, manipulation, racial prejudice, sexism and ageism. "Over-commercialisation and its resulting restrictions and limitations can be very damaging and distorting to the inherent nature of the individual." During her trial, Hill claimed she is still forced to live under the pernicious economic hierarchy imposed by the slave trade. She told the court: "I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them. I had an economic system imposed on me." Hill became internationally famous in the mid-1990s as a member of The Fugees. The band's second album The Score sold almost 20m copies worldwide and spawned smash hit single Killing me Softly. After the band split up, Hill released 'The Miseducation' which won six Grammy awards. At the time of beng sentenced, she was working on the long-awaited follow-up entitled 'The Return.'
I don't know that the system was forced upon her. She could have moved to any nation with a different system if she found it more to her liking.
$500,000 for only 3 months in a likely minimum security prison? I'd glady forgo my taxes the next couple decades if at the end of it all I had to do was sit in a prison relaxing with TV, rec time, AC and three meals a day for 3 months.
I don't buy into the "I had this forced on me" baloney inasmuch as she never seemed to be angry about having her success forced on her either. The "child of slaves" stuff is similarly vapid. However, her complaints about industry and society are understandable.
Her point is an argument that I have heard before that African Americans are the only immigrant group that didn't come here by choice and had no say or benefit from their labor. Further she argues that she has withdrawn from society so that she felt those rules no longer applied to her. I think the article title is somewhat misleading as it doesn't sound like slavery was the only reason or main reason for her not paying taxes. Not defending her argument and I doubt that she wasn't benefiting from the system, collecting royalties for her songs, while she was withdrawn from society. Posting it for discussion.
I get that part of the argument about African Americans being forced to come here, not having a say in a lot or benefit from their labor. But she still wasn't first to stay, if she didn't like the system. She had all the resources she needed to move to a different nation.
She didn't even withdraw from society like the hype claims. She still did sporadic concerts, recorded some music, wrote a bunch of songs, did songs for soundtracks, lived in a house at times in New Jersey, etc. Famous people have such a warped sense of reality. She didn't go live in some shack in the woods.
Nobody feels sorry for you Lauryn and all the millions you made. Yeah you're so oppressed. Pay your taxes or move to another country.
If she doesn't like the system she can move to another country? She's American, where/why would she go anywhere else?
I assume she still owes the $500k despite the jail time. Everybody has the system forced upon them. That's life.
She doesn't want to comply with the American system. That is her choice. Everybody can choose whether they want to live under the system they are born into. She had more choice than most of us schmucks because she is rich. She had the following choices: A) Live in America and pay taxes B) Live in America, refuse to pay taxes and go to jail C) Refuse to pay American taxes and move somewhere else She believes this myth that is "withdrawn" from society but it isn't true at all. She didn't want to be bothered and wanted to explore her identity. That's fine and all, but she still wanted the benefits of society. She still came to America whenever she wanted to earn a little money.
When it comes to the IRS and unpaid taxes Nothing even Matters; whether it's a Family Business or not the IRS will settle The Score.
