Tax Scheme Is Blamed for Damage to Artifacts
By Megan • Feb 5th, 2008 • Category: News for Creatives (archives)Matthew Wald reports for The New York Times:
“WASHINGTON — Recent raids on museums in Southern California have stirred much questioning in the art world about why three federal agencies would devote four years to investigating what seems to be low-level smuggling and penny-ante tax fraud.
Yet tax experts say that the pattern of deceit outlined in court papers — appraising art objects for amounts just below a threshold that sets off higher scrutiny — is frequently investigated by the criminal enforcement arm of the Internal Revenue Service.
And a scholar who aided in the investigation argues that the modest dollar value of the objects — mostly artifacts from Southeast Asia that the authorities say were probably looted — is vastly eclipsed by the damage that looters wreak at archaeological sites, adding urgency to the inquiry.”
Megan is a creative producer at Wise Elephant.
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