Celebrity tax woes

French actor Gerard Depardieu made headlines in December for giving up his French passport and moving to Belgium, in order to stop paying what he called the country’s excessively high tax rate on the wealthy. His open protest of the country’s tax laws made him a popular as well as reviled figure. Here are some other celebrities who have made news for their tax-related issues.

5 Seconds

00:00

Al Capone

Al Capone, smoking a cigar, listens to his attorney Abe Teitelbaum explain the government's tax case against him. Perhaps the most famous tax evader of all time, Chicago mobster Capone pled guilty to the U.S. Treasury Department’s charges of tax evasion in 1931. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and had to pay back nearly $300,000 in taxes and fines.

/ AP

Tom Jones

The British singer moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s partly due to tax reasons, he said. “The problem I had in the ’70s was that the Labour Government got in, and the tax went through the roof,” he said in a 2006 interview with Wales Online. Tax rates during that period were one of the highest in Britain’s economic history, with an 83 percent rate on earned income and 98 percent on unearned income.

Claus Bjorn Larsen / AP

Michael Caine

Michael Caine — right, in a scene from “The Dark Knight Rises” — also moved to America in the 1970s to protest the country’s high tax rates, but he eventually moved back to Britain in the late 1980s. In 2009, Caine was in the news again for voicing his opposition to an increase in income tax under Prime Minister Gordon Brown. “The government has taken tax up to 50%, and if it goes to 51% I will be back in America,” he said in an interview with the Telegraph.

Ron Phillips / Warner Bros.

Shirley Bassey

British singer Shirley Bassey, the singer best known for the title songs of James Bond movies like “Goldfinger” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” has lived in Monte Carlo as a self-imposed tax exile since 1968.

Kevin Winter / Getty Images

The Rolling Stones

The Stones’ 1972 album, “Exile on Main Street,” was born out of their experience with Britain’s high tax rates. A year earlier, the Stones left Britain to become residents of France, and recorded the album there. Through the years, the band has been known to make their business decisions, such as where to rehearse and record, in order to minimize the amount of taxes they have to pay.

Dave Allocca / AP

Boris Becker

The German tennis star was charged with tax evasion and sentenced to two years’ probation by a German court in 2002. Becker had maintained a house in Germany while he lived in Monaco. He paid $1.7 million to cover the taxes he owed.

Koen Van Weel / AFP/Getty Images

Lauryn Hill

The Grammy-winning singer pled guilty to charges of tax evasion in June 2012. She was accused of failing to file tax returns between 2005 and 2007. Hill was set to appear in court in November 2012, but her sentencing has now been moved to March, according to the Star-Ledger.

Olivier Maire / AP

Wesley Snipes

In 2008, “Blade” actor Wesley Snipes was convicted on charges of failing to file federal taxes. Snipes had also been charged with conspiracy to defraud the government, but he was acquitted of those. He is currently serving a three-year sentence in a Pennsylvania jail and is scheduled for release in July.

Peter Kramer / AP

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson

In January 2013, golfer Phil Mickelson, right, said that changes in federal and state tax laws, particularly California’s increased tax rate on the wealthy, had caused him to consider moving out of the state. His comments received widespread criticism, prompting an apology from Mickelson. Soon after, fellow golfer Tiger Woods admitted that he moved to Florida from California in 1996 in order to avoid the state’s high tax rates.

Andy Wong / AP

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Statues on display on the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in The Great Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on May 21, 2013 in London, England. The Chelsea Flower Show run by the RHS celebrates its 100th birthday this year. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Photos of the day

Chelsea Flower Show, face transplant in Poland, Oklahoma residents cope with tornado aftermath and more.

Lea Bessinger salvages a picture of Jesus as she and her son Josh Bessinger sort through the rubble of the elder Bessinger's tornado-ravaged home Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening an entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tornado near Oklahoma City causes more damage

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a twister carved a long path of destruction in a suburb of Oklahoma City. It was part of the...

ANNAPOLIS, MD - MAY 20: The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the United States Naval Academy. The plebes climb to the top of the lard-covered 21 foot high monument and remove the 'dixie cup' hat at the top replacing it with an upperclassman's hat. After completing this, the freshmen are called 'fourth class midshipmen.' This class completed the task in 1 hour 32 minutes and 43 seconds. The hat was placed by Patrick Lien from Orlando. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The Herndon Climb

The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Ken Marino, Erica Oyama, Ben Stiller, Chris Harrison, and Mike Rosenstein aceept the Webby Award for 'Burning Love' at the 17th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 21, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)

Eye on entertainment

Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Emma Stone, Chainz, Tyrese Gibson, Susan Boyle and more.

This combination of Associated Press photos shows left, a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., in ruins on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, after a tornado flattened many houses and buildings in central Oklahoma, and right, flattened houses in Moore on Monday, May 20, 2013. Monday's powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. (AP Photo)

Okla. tornado loosely followed path of 1999 twister

Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the area in May 1999.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Animal views

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

FILE - In this undated publicity file photo, members of the Doors, from left, John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, pose for a portrait. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald says in a news release that Manzarek died Monday, May 20, 2013, at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. (AP Photo, File)

Ray Manzarek, founding member of the Doors, dies at 74

Manzarek co-founded the Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock-and-roll...

A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 2 OF 30 FOR PACKAGE 'ETHIOPIA'S ANCIENT SALT TRAIL'
SEARCH 'DANAKIL DEPRESSION' FOR ALL

Ethiopia’s salt trail

For centuries, merchants have traveled to Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted...

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.