Donald Trump certainly has a few tax issues looming over him as he takes over the Oval Office. Alec Baldwin, known for his impersonation of Trump during the months leading up to the election, coincidentally also has an issue regarding the payment of taxes, specifically tax evasion.
In 2010, Baldwin purchased the Bleckner painting “Sea and Mirror” for $190,000. In September of 2016, Baldwin sued New York City art dealer Mary Boone alleging that Boone delivered a similar Bleckner work, but not “Sea and Mirror.” Baldwin alleges in his complaint that Boone promised to obtain the painting from an unnamed collector, but instead delivered a different piece of artwork, also painted by Bleckner. Baldwin is seeking damages measured by the difference between the purchase price of the painting Boone sold him and the current value of the original “Sea and Mirror.”
Boone filed a motion to dismiss Baldwin’s lawsuit in a New York court in October of 2016 accusing Baldwin of failing to pay sales tax, alleging that Baldwin first had the painting shipped to his Los Angeles home before shipping it to his apartment in New York City to avoid paying New York sales tax.
The tax charge apparently is part of a legal motion by Boone to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Baldwin in which he contends that the Bleckner painting “Sea and Mirror” that he bought from her in 2010 was not the one for which he paid $190,000.
Boone’s attorney stated: “As the documentary evidence makes clear, Baldwin sought relief from the New York state and city sales taxes — $16,625 — by causing the painting to be shipped momentarily to his California residence, with the instruction that the painting remain in California only long enough for his assistant to sign for it, after which it was to make an immediate U-turn so that it could be installed in Baldwin’s New York City apartment.”
Boone also says in a sworn affidavit, “I respectfully submit that Baldwin cannot connive an elaborate scheme to evade sales taxes and yet claim that there are any circumstances under which he is entitled to punitive or exemplary damages in connection with the same transaction.”
Baldwin’s attorneys say that Boone’s tax avoidance charge is “a blatant diversionary tactic and an attempt to distract from the fraud she is not denying.”
If you are an individual or business in the New York or Tri-State area and have any question about taxes, especially in planning ahead for the next filing season, call THE TAX EXPERTS at the Thorgood Law Firm www.thorgoodlaw.com. For a FREE consultation call 212-490-0704.
