^ Exactly. This isn’t a case of “oops, my accountant fucked up, let me take some of my millions out of the bank and pay up”. For years he tried every retarded excuse he could think of because he simply didn’t want to pay taxes. From wikipedia:
Tax problems
[edit] Property taxes
Snipes failed to pay approximately $70,000 in local property taxes, interest and penalties on a home in Alpine, New Jersey, owned by his company, Kymberlyte Production Services International, Inc. In December 2007, the taxing authority of the borough of Alpine, New Jersey sold the tax lien on the home to a third party. Snipes has two years to redeem the property or risk foreclosure.[13] In 2005, Snipes defaulted on California property taxes, owing over $171,000 in property taxes in that state.[14] As of February 2008, a home owned by Snipes in Florida is subject to delinquent property taxes of over $15,000.[15][edit] Federal tax convictions
On October 12, 2006, Wesley Snipes, Eddie Ray Kahn, and Douglas P. Rosile were charged with one count of conspiring to defraud the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 371 and one count of knowingly making or aiding and abetting the making of a false and fraudulent claim for payment against the United States, under 18 U.S.C. § 287 and 18 U.S.C. § 2. Snipes was also charged six counts of willfully failing to file Federal income tax returns by their filing dates under 26 U.S.C. § 7203.[16]The conspiracy charge against Snipes included allegations that he filed a false amended return including a false tax refund claim of over US$4 million for the year 1996 and a false amended return including a false tax refund claim of over US$7.3 million for the year 1997. The government alleged that Snipes attempted to obtain fraudulent tax refunds using a legally discredited tax protester theory called the “861 argument” (essentially, an argument that the domestic income of U.S. citizens and residents is not taxable). The indictment said Snipes used accountants who already had a history of filing false returns to obtain refund payments for their clients.[17] The government also charged that Snipes sent three worthless, fictitious “bills of exchange” to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amounts of $1,000,000 (on November 30, 2000), $12,000,000 (January 18, 2001), and $1,000,000 (September 10, 2002), with each accompanied by an IRS tax payment voucher coupon.[18]Under the alleged deal, the firm American Rights Litigators was to receive, from the clients, an amount equal to 20 percent of the tax refunds obtained for those clients.[19] The government also charged that Snipes failed to file tax returns for the years 1999 through 2004.[20]
In a December 4, 2006 letter from Snipes in response to his indictment, he declared himself “a nonresident alien” of the United States. (In reality Snipes is a US born citizen)[21] Snipes said he was a scapegoat and unfairly targeted by prosecutors in connection with the federal tax fraud investigation.[19] He attempted unsuccessfully to get the trial moved from Ocala, Florida on the ground that racist attitudes in that town would prejudice his chance for a fair trial.[22] Snipes faced the possibility of up to sixteen years in prison and substantial fines if convicted on all the charges.[23] The trial began on Monday, January 14, 2008, in Ocala, Florida,[24] with opening statements beginning on Wednesday, January 16, 2008.[25]