Bunch of wealthy deadbeats owe New York over $170M in back taxes


BY ROBERT GEARTY


DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER


Sunday, March 2nd 2008, 4:00 AM


They are New York's Cheapest: an elite collection of wealthy fraudsters and deadbeats who owe more than $1 million each in state income taxes.


There are 47 individuals in all in New York State's tax deadbeat hall of shame, on the hook for more than $170 million.


There's a money manager, some infamous doctors, business executives galore, even a former rabbi and a minister.


In all, officials at the state Department of Taxation & Finance say 225,000 city tax debtors owe more than $1 billion in unpaid taxes and penalties.


To collect on what is owed, the state files a warrant after a tax debtor has ignored demands to pay up. The state can seize property or garnish wages to pay off the debt.


"Seizing assets is an act of last resort," department spokesman Tom Bergin said.


Some warrants were filed more than 15 years ago but are still open, an indication of how tough it can be to collect.


If a deadbeat dies, the process gets even tougher, though the estate can be held liable for the money.


"It's pointless to chase someone where you don't know where they are or they disappeared or they died," said Bergin. "You go where the money is."


He said the state has had some success in pursuing deadbeats, hauling in about $100 million a month in back taxes.


Here's a baker's dozen of New York's Cheapest（名单略）:


读新闻，学英语，新闻报道是最鲜活的英语语言学习材料。有调查表明，在英语教学中，当教师提供给学生的语言材料是现实生活中常用的语言表达，学生学起来边兴趣盎然，学习效果很好。反之，学生的学习兴趣大减，教学效果差。外语教学不仅应该仅仅停留在语言交际的层次上，而是应该进一步上升到文化交流的层面上全方位培养学生。通过对报刊英语的学习，学生可以累积和储存日益丰富的文化信息和国际知识，使其“文化语料库”得到扩充，为未来的跨文化交际和国际文化交流打下坚实的基础。曾长期在北京外国语大学任教的著名外籍专家David Crook这么说过：“莎士比亚的作品自然漂亮，不过它们对于大多数中国学生来说并不急需。我认为，从英美报刊中仔细选摘的文章更有用，它们是一些最好的现代英文。”


《朗文当代高级英语辞典》对deadbeat的解释一目了然：someone who avoids paying his debt。例如：That deadbeat left town owing US$5,000.（那个“老赖”离开镇上时欠下了五千美元的债务。）


通过这篇英语新闻报道，我们还可以学到其他方面的词语知识，纽约市的这些“老赖”拖欠的主要是应纳却未纳的税款及相应的罚金（back taxes/ unpaid taxes and penalties），虽然他们属于精英阶层（elite），而且绝对尤其有钱（wealthy），可是他们拒不纳税，而且无视要求他们还钱的命令（ignored demands to pay up），如此以来，他们就与骗子（fraudsters）无异，他们也因此被[屏蔽]认为应该进入“老赖”名人堂（hall of shame），他们也因此是“最不值得尊敬的人/最无耻的人（Cheapest）”。


由此看来，“老赖”不仅在中国，就是在西方，也是人人喊打的对象。社会需要城信，社会呼唤秩序，对于那些拒绝遵守规则的人，那就只能曝光他们的丑恶嘴脸。