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Sochi Gets a Visit from the La Taxa Nostra: All Olympic Medals are Subject to Federal Income Tax
American Thinker ^ | 02/09/2014 | Jeannie DeAngelis

Posted on 02/09/2014 11:36:34 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Somebody has to cover the cost of Sandra Fluke's contraceptives.  So, with that in mind, government mafia extortionists disguised as the IRS are eagerly awaiting the tally on Olympic gold, silver and bronze. 

At the SOTU, Barack Obama said of the Sochi Olympics: "We believe in the inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual orientation."

Then he said, "Next week the world will see one expression of that commitment when Team USA marches the red, white and blue into the Olympic stadium and brings home the gold." 

Translation:  The president is sending delegates, some of whom are homosexual, to Putin's gay-unfriendly Russia.  Their job is to gaily cheer on athletes from whom the IRS hopes they can extort cash on behalf of Obama.

Like all earned income, prizes awarded by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) are subject to federal taxes.

That means if an elite athlete has spent an entire life training for the Olympics and manages to win a medal, he or she now owes the U.S. Government a chunk of the monetary prize.

Olympic gold is worth $25,000; silver $15,000; and bronze $10,000.  So, gold-medal-winning snowboarder Sage Kotsenburg had better be stuffing some of his hard earned winnings into an IRS envelope.  Those in the 39.6% tax bracket, like high-earning gold medalist Shaun White, will have to cough up $9,900 on every $25,000 medal they win. 


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: 2014olympics; incometax; irs; medals; olympics; russia; sochi
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1 posted on 02/09/2014 11:36:34 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Some countries are actually paying their athletes for winning Gold medals.

Ours’ makes them pay.

What a Country!


2 posted on 02/09/2014 11:37:47 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

Will John F’n Kerry have to pay tax on his Nobel? I’ll bet he claims selling out Israel as a business expense.


3 posted on 02/09/2014 11:39:59 AM PST by NonValueAdded (It's not the penalty, it's the lack of coverage on 1 Jan. Think about it.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Ok; is this a new thing; or the way it has always been?


4 posted on 02/09/2014 11:41:29 AM PST by HereInTheHeartland (Obama lied; our healthcare died.)
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To: NonValueAdded

RE: Will John F’n Kerry have to pay tax on his Nobel?

You must have insider information...


5 posted on 02/09/2014 11:41:45 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: HereInTheHeartland
It's always been this way. I don't think the tax is on the medal, but on the cash award that comes with it. Keep in mind that any athlete who has to report this kind of cash on their taxes can also deduct their out-of-pocket expenses for travel, training, etc. in 2014.

Personally, I don't think there are too many Olympic athletes who are going to end up paying a dime to the IRS for any of their medals. The big-name players probably get six-figure incomes from sponsorships, so this would be a small drop in the bucket anyway.

6 posted on 02/09/2014 11:46:22 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Taxes on prizes seems fair, but I think there should be some way for Olympians or similar to have help paying them.

Everyone winning prizes of any monetary value does have to pay about 50% of their winnings, but let’s put some common sense into this. We won $35k of concert tickets from AT&T. It was fair for us, or lottery winners, to pay taxes on that. But we sat on our butts and won. An Olympic athlete often trains for a decade or two, makes many sacrifices, his family even makes many (including financial) sacrifices, and somehow it seems wrong as anything for them to pay taxes on an object they would never sell.

Everyone knows that if you are poor, and you win a car for being in oprahs audience, sell it to pay the taxes, and you come away with half the car’s worth. No Olympian wants to sell his or her medal. It doesn’t seems fair or common sense.


7 posted on 02/09/2014 11:46:31 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: SeekAndFind

Olympic gold is worth $25,000; silver $15,000; and bronze $10,000.

Are they REAL GOLD? Or is this the going rate on eBay?

And a bronze medal is worth a lot less. Is there a cash prize with the medals?


8 posted on 02/09/2014 11:46:41 AM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
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To: dfwgator

If I work my whole life training to start a business in support of helping the US economy through job creation and the other benefits to the region and community, and bringing that goal to fruition, I get taxed on my “gold medal” if I succeed.

I don’t see the problem.


9 posted on 02/09/2014 11:47:01 AM PST by Nonsense Unlimited
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To: Alberta's Child

I didn’t know there was a cash award. I thought it was only the worth of the metal?


10 posted on 02/09/2014 11:47:26 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: dfwgator
Some countries are actually paying their athletes for winning Gold medals.

Those countries must be filled with losers. Some countries -- like the United States -- don't have to pay their athletes for winning medals ... but their athletes are among the leaders in the medals standings anyway. LOL.

11 posted on 02/09/2014 11:47:36 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: SeekAndFind

If they say that it’s income, then athletes can claim expenses associated with receiving that income. Equipment, ice rink rental, airfare, trainers, etc.


12 posted on 02/09/2014 11:48:43 AM PST by centurion316
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To: SeekAndFind

Is this the way to treat athlets who give glory to their homeland?


13 posted on 02/09/2014 11:49:08 AM PST by Altenkrug
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To: Yaelle

I thought so, until I saw that the gold medal has a value of $25,000 and the silver medal is $15,000. These values don’t seem to correspond to precious metal prices unless they use a lot more silver than gold in those medals!


14 posted on 02/09/2014 11:49:28 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: Altenkrug

That’s odd. I thought they were giving glory to NBC, Anheuser-Busch, Google, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, etc.


15 posted on 02/09/2014 11:51:08 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: SeekAndFind
The cost basis is $-0-, and will stay that way with no tax consequences unless the athletes decide to sell them.

They need to tell the IRS to take a hike.

16 posted on 02/09/2014 11:52:57 AM PST by elkfersupper
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To: centurion316

I’d think the cost of training far exceeds any worth of the medal. But once the endorsements kick in then it gets really positive for the athlete, as long as he/she is smart.

But what is you don’t win a medal but just minor prizes. Seems to me you could also deduct relevant expenses and run a loss. Hmmm.


17 posted on 02/09/2014 11:54:11 AM PST by Aria ( 2008 & 2012 weren't elections - they were coup d'etats.)
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To: SeekAndFind

did this ever happen before ?


18 posted on 02/09/2014 11:54:48 AM PST by knarf (I say things that are true .. I have no proof .. but they're true.)
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To: Aria

With all of the corporate sponsors of these national teams, I would venture to guess that the cost of training is very small for many of these athletes. It’s probably a different story for minor sports that nobody pays any attention to.


19 posted on 02/09/2014 11:59:29 AM PST by Alberta's Child ("I've never seen such a conclave of minstrels in my life.")
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To: Vaquero

“Olympic gold is worth $25,000; silver $15,000; and bronze $10,000.

Are they REAL GOLD? Or is this the going rate on eBay?

And a bronze medal is worth a lot less. Is there a cash prize with the medals?”


Yes, there is a cash prize, paid for by the US Olympic Committee, which has been paying cash prizes for medals for many Olympics now.

It’s just normal income like any other bonus a company pays you.

This article is silly, of course you pay taxes on cash income.


20 posted on 02/09/2014 11:59:47 AM PST by LRoggy (Peter's Son's Business)
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