Watch the clip as well: http://www.wwtdd.com/2010/09/oprah-winfrey-is-screwing-australia-for-3000000/
Why pay when you are the big dog? Get others to pay......and folks can always turn down the gift if they don't want to pay the taxes. DD
I stopped reading after it said she had screwed over her audience members by giving them something for free and "sticking them with the tax bill." When you start vilifying people for giving stuff away, you have problems.
She actually isn't giving anything away, countries and companies are but I am with the rest of you, I fail to see how people are getting screwed.
Isn't this what any other game show would do? Price is Right Wheel of Fortune Sabado Gigante Of course they give the car away but its not going to be completely free. I thought this was commonly known, apparently not.
If thats being screwed by Oprah, then I would love to be screwed by Oprah any day of the week.........Wait, no.
I never understood the Car give away backlash. I thought you were supposed to pay taxes on your winnings. If they didn't want to pay taxes why would they take the car? I can care less about Australia.
there's the gift tax. well, for people, it's really you're only allowed to gift so much a year to someone, after which you start eating into your lifetime gift tax exemption bucket (which is fairly big). i'm guessing for most of this type of stuff, though, the "giver" isn't doing so as a gift, but rather as a corporate expense to whatever entity is doing the giving. Pontiac expenses it as a marketing expense, or whatever. The receiver definitely has to record gift income and pay taxes on it. The good news is if they can't cover the taxes, they can always sell the item to cover the taxes and keep the net difference.
Anytime anybody wins something, they have to pay taxes on it. When people win on Jeopardy, they have to pay taxes on their winnings. When you win the lottery... guess what? I've never understood people who complain about winning a bunch of stuff because they have to pay taxes on it. unbelievable If you don't want the free car simply because you don't want to pay $5k in taxes, just send that car my way.
Are you allowed to accept the car, then sell the car for cash? Thats what I would do. I'd never go to a taping of the Oprah show though. Those ladies are out of their frikkin minds
Yes, you can do that. In fact, that's what you pretty much have to do if you don't have the cash lying around to pay the taxes.
You're right that she isn't giving it away, but she is still the conduit through which the giving occurs.
its just misleading, she doesn't give away anything herself yet takes the credit for it. But it says that they chose out people who actually needed cars according to letters but they can't afford it, if they can't afford cars, yet they are supposed to be able to just pay 10,000 that they are given if tey know most of these people couldn't afford it?
