Uncle Sam Spoils Dream Trip To Space 656
gollum123 writes about a dream come true and a dream dashed. Brian Emmett, a software consultant from the San Francisco Bay area, entered a contest sponsored by Oracle in 2005. He answered some questions on Java coding, won a free trip into space, and then reluctantly gave it up. The latter decision came once he had computed the taxes he would have to pay on the $138,000 prize — roughly $25,000. From the article: "Since the Internal Revenue Service requires winnings from lottery drawings, TV game shows, and other contests to be reported as taxable income, tax experts contend there's no such thing as a free spaceflight. Some contest sponsors provide a check to cover taxes, but that income is also taxable."
A dream come true? (Score:5, Funny)
* There are no free rides to outer space
* Dream free trip to space brings black hole in wallet
* Win a free ticket to space? Read the fine print
* Taxes
* Space tourism yet to take off
* Free trips to space pose some taxing dilemmas
etc etc etc.
Oracle should have made him an employee... (Score:5, Funny)
(Disclaimer: I'm not an accountant or a tax geek so I don't know whether that would really work out).
I bet Larry Ellinson is laughing hard (Score:5, Funny)
Convergence (Score:5, Funny)
Fortunately, this series eventually converges to values small enough to lose it amid the rounding error on your taxes.
Yes. (Score:2, Funny)
Besides, they are already floating lawyers floating in space, waiting.
Re:A dream come true? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:possible loophole (Score:5, Funny)
Re:About this taxes... (Score:5, Funny)
Sponsors (Score:2, Funny)
There is no free launch (Score:1, Funny)
Re:A dream come true? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Tax the organiser (Score:0, Funny)
Re:A dream come true? (Score:4, Funny)
Thanks a lot.
Re:Tax the organiser (Score:3, Funny)
Re:A dream come true? (Score:1, Funny)
"We're pretty sure this guy was a time bomb," said Police Chief Ed "Donuts" Warren, "I mean, he had a history of +5 funny moderations which really just hid a deeply troubled person."
"He should have been modded +5 Scary," said random, uninvolved soccer mom/faceless citizen Gina Tripoli, "Why isn't someone thinking of the children?"
DA Michael Turnbolt said he'd seek the death penalty. "Try to kill someone, or even use the word 'kill', and we can be 100% certain you are a bloodthirsty murderer. You don't deserve to live in a free society. Oh, I just used it? Well, I don't count, I mean, I'm a DA."
Re:A dream come true? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:A dream come true? (Score:3, Funny)