Advertisement

State releases list of top 500 income tax delinquents

Share

SACRAMENTO -- Halsey M. Minor, the CNet co-founder and high-tech business pioneer of the 1990s, tops the state of California’s latest list of its 500 biggest income tax delinquents.

Minor and his wife, Shannon Minor, both of San Francisco, owe California $10.5 million, according to a Friday morning release from state tax officials.

The taxes have been owed since at least June, 26, 2009, when a tax lien was filed against the Minors, the California Franchise Tax Board reported.

Minor did not respond to telephone messages seeking comment on the state Franchise Tax Board report.

Minor started CNet Inc. before the tech bubble burst in the early 2000s. Since then, he’s been involved in various other companies, including Minor Ventures, a venture capital firm that invested in early-state tech and media firms, according to a Facebook posting.

According to the state, Minor owed about 40% more than the second-biggest delinquent, Mon B. Hom and Mimi Hom of Los Angeles.

In all, the top 500 delinquents owe the state about $233 million, according to the state Franchise Tax Board. Here is a link to the full FTB 2012 list.

Another notable on the list appears to be former Playboy model and “Baywatch” actress Pamela Anderson. The state list showed a Pamela D. Anderson of Woodland Hills owing $524,241 in state income taxes.

According to a 2011 Wall Street Journal story, Anderson’s tax attorney, Robert Leonard, said that his client has a payment plan with the state and is expected to clear her April 2009 lien by the end of this year. Leonard could not be reached.

A new California law that went on the books Jan. 1 requires income tax authorities to biannually publish a list of the 500 largest unpaid income tax delinquencies. The list is updated twice a year.

The law, which doubled the size of the list from 250 five years ago, also authorizes the Franchise Tax Board to publish the names and titles of corporate officers of listed companies as well as a delinquent taxpayer’s professional license information, if any.

As of next July, the law will give officials the power to strip delinquent taxpayers of their professional licenses, including those of physicians and lawyers. They also could get their driver’s license suspended.

So far this year, the Franchise Tax Board said it has collected more than $25 million in payments from individuals and businesses that wanted to prevent their tax debts from being published.

Delinquent taxpayers who want to resolve their problems with the state should call (888) 426-8555 for individuals and (888) 426-8751 for businesses.

Related:

Filing your taxes: five tips

President Obama enlists wealthy in support of “Buffett Rule”

George W. Bush: “I wish they weren’t called the Bush tax cuts”

Advertisement