The IRS is seeking to "shame" people into
paying their taxes and are listing delinquent United States citizens on State
owned web sites.
At least 13 states are using the tactic, which
some states are branding an effective tax tool.
Georgia’s web site boasts two celebrities, the
estate of Tupac Shakur, which owes $85,260 and the estate of Lisa "Left
Eye Lopes" which owes almost $550,000.
"We’re trying to shame people," Danny
Brazell of the South Carolina Department of Revenue told the AP. "To have
your neighbors be able to see your debt, that would be embarrassing of course,
and that’s the whole idea."
Governments used to post debtors’ names in town
squares or newspapers and
The public humiliation tactic isn’t new, just in a new forum.
Governments used to post debtors’ names in town
squares or newspapers and since turning to the net, claim the tactic is even
more successful.