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Swedish Tax Office Targets Webcam Strippers

Posted by samzenpus on from the anything-for-my-job dept.

Sweden's tax authorities are cracking down on unreported webcam stripper income. They estimate that hundreds of Swedish women are dodging the law, resulting in a tax loss of about 40m Swedish kronor (£3.3m) annually. The search involves tax officials examining stripper websites, hours upon hours, for completely legitimate purposes. A slightly disheveled project leader said 200 Swedish strippers had been investigated so far, adding the total could be as much as 500. "They are young girls, we can see from the photos. We think that perhaps they are not well informed about the rules," he said.

32 of 384 comments (clear)

  1. Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who are they, their pimps?

    1. Re:Seriously? by deraj123 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Isn't that basically the relationship we all have with the government?

    2. Re:Seriously? by scorp1us · · Score: 4, Interesting

      When you have an income tax, the government is everyone's pimp. The government can extract anything from its taxpayers with little recourse.

      When the US started the income tax it was 1% on incomes over $250,000 (adjusted) We now tax everyone 20-30% of anyone making over $600. Furthermore, your "fair share" is determined on how productive in enterprising you are. The more you stimulate the economy, the more you're penalized for it.

      I wish people in the US would realize that the more people in government there is, the exponentially more the burden on private enterprise. Assume 1 government worker in a population of 100 can pay 20% of their salary (say $1000) back. The remaining 80% of that salary comes from private enterprise. Now, imagine 99 government workers and one private enterprise person. We then have a $76,200 bill to be paid by one person. Good luck with that.

      Today fully one half of Americans receive federal funding in some way. Good luck with that.

      We have a federal debt of 12 Trillion dollars and a $1+ trillion deficit this year alone. Our taxes should be 60%. But our unborn have no representation in congress. I love those Obama girls. I can't wait to tap them - for their taxes!

      Of course, it is the income tax that allows this. It is so easy to collect as as long as we can keep raising it, we'll keep demanding more and more. Good luck with that.

      With a consumption tax this kind of spending would be impossible.

      --
      Slashdot's rate-of-post filter: Preventing you from posting too many great ideas at once.
    3. Re:Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Furthermore, your "fair share" is determined on how productive in enterprising you are.

      It's protection money for your... profit. You can be perfectly productive in a charitable or academic manner and your organisations will not have to worry much about tax. But if you want that money just to fund a larger house or private yacht, you're paying n% protection against the unwashed masses stealing the other (100-n)%. It's only right that the more personal wealth you amass, the more you should have to pay to protect it. If you want, we can move to an anarchy and see how long Gates gets to live safely.

      The more you stimulate the economy, the more you're penalized for it.

      The "economy" is just a bunch of people trading, not some huge singular blob. Just because x does a lot of trade benefitting set X, it doesn't mean I should care about x's successes unless I'm a member of X. But the government will stop me looting x because x pays the government protection money. Understand?

    4. Re:Seriously? by ObsessiveMathsFreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Furthermore, your "fair share" is determined on how productive in enterprising you are. The more you stimulate the economy, the more you're penalized for it.

      This argument is based on the assumption that those who are payed more in our society are more hard working and productive. As any fool can tell you, in reality the exact opposite of this assumption holds. Typically the more you are paid, the less productive you are.

      While there are exceptions, it is safe to say that those on the lower end of the payscale work very hard jobs for very long hours, whereas those in high paid executive positions are on a gravy train, with high salaries, bonuses, short hours, little responsibility and who actually do atrociously little work.

      The truth, and it is something that many simply cannot bear to face, is that the wealth of many individuals has very little to do with their own productivity and labour, and very much to do with the productivity and labour of the many people who work for them. This notion was, and still is, denied by many, particularly whose at the top end of the pay scale, who struggle to find some rationalisation for why they, who spend most of their day idle, spewing out buzzwords, on telephone calls, making powerpoint presentations or surfing for porn, should receive an order of magnitude or more compensation for their day than the people on the factory floor who visibly sweat in order to make their living. It's a powerful juxtaposition and one which I'm sure people in top paying jobs are subconsciously uncomfortable with. Hence they rationalise. Oh do they rationalise.

      Read Galbraith's book, "The Great Crash", where he analyises the 1929 stock market crash. Among other things, he argues that one of the main causes of the crash was the huge wealth disparity between the super rich and everyone else. Basically, there were a small number of people who had sucked up a sizable proportion of the money in the US, and gave nothing in return. When they stopped spending, the whole system froze up. They were essentially black holes which money flowed into, but never out of. Consumption taxes wouldn't have helped. Their money was idle and remained so.

      So I don't buy this idea about the "injustice" of taxing higher earners. In my opinion, the true leaches in our society are the people in top positions who sit around doing nothing while creaming off the labour of others. they are the true parasites, and they are ultimately the ones who got us into the current crises we now find ourselves in. I'm not a communist, but I don't buy the idea that people should receive unlimited compensation simply because they had a rich parent, an expensive education and the right contacts. And make no mistake, those are the only qualifications that 90% of business managers have today.

      --
      May the Maths Be with you!
    5. Re:Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Those hard-working people you love so much only have jobs because more business-savvy people are constructing environments in which their hard labor can be turned into something of value, and are directing the efforts of their employees toward appropriate goals.

      Working hard is a very straight-forward proposition that doesn't require your labor to be *worth* anything. But as a result it doesn't guarantee that you will be creating any value - for yourself or others. You come across as a pure "means of production" communist. If you succeed in running your little experiment you will discover that everyone can be working their asses off and still producing jack-shit, if the people who are good at preventing that scenario are held back and the free market is tied up with taxes, regulations, protectionism and government-granted monopolies.

      Your mistake is that you think labor is intrinsically worth something. It's not. Supply in an environment of demand is intrinsically worth something. Pure laborers are just one cog in the production of the supply.

      Entrepreneurs set up the equation to actually produce value and - as a result - wages; and they do so at great risk to their own livelihood. Risks pure laborers are disinclined or outright unwilling to take. Middle managers, while easy to pick on, exist primarily because pure laborers are so unlikely to efficiently produce things of value if left unmanaged, so if you hate them so badly you have only your workers to blame. It's true that they aren't setting up the value environment like the true business leaders, but it's not true that they are unnecessary. They may well be overpaid, but it's not *your* money they are being paid with so you don't have any right to deny it to them.

    6. Re:Seriously? by timeOday · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Very highly paid people do very little work for each dollar they earn. This is not my opinion, it is simple mathematics. The average CEO "earns" 250 times as much as the average worker. Let's assume the average worker is an overpaid, underworked union slob (as "wealth=merit" types tend to believe) and does only 10 minutes of actual productive work per day. The CEO would still have to work 104 hours per day to work equally for each dollar. Not even Ayn Rand can fail to see that logic. So you need to switch to something else, like "they're smarter and more disciplined than you and I," or, "sitting around in meetings is much harder than backbreaking repetitive labor," or something like that.

    7. Re:Seriously? by vux984 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Let's try 'the work they do is vastly more valuable'. God, you're an idiot.

      Then the CEO should be fired immediately for not getting his thousands of wage slaves to do more valuable work.
      If this 'vastly more valuable work' isn't actually 'harder', then why aren't more people doing it?

      I mean, if its not actually intrinsically harder (and it largely isn't), than supply and demand pressures should put massive downward price pressure on 'vastly more valuable work', as everyone would be stopping harder less valuable work to do this easier and 'vastly more valuable work'.

      God, you're an idiot.

      Look in the mirror.

  2. "We need to investigate this... closely..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I'd like to volunteer for this job myself."

  3. Hiring? by natespizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are they hiring?

    1. Re:Hiring? by internerdj · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Interesting comment, that I'm sure plenty are thinking. So how does this sentiment reflect on those who hunt for child-porn prosecution purposes? What better place for a predator than to have offensive material sent to them as a "necessary" part of their job?

    2. Re:Hiring? by Attila+Dimedici · · Score: 4, Informative

      It makes me sick that Obama changed his policy on warrantless wiretapping.

      He didn't change anything, he just stopped lying about it.

      --
      The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted. James Madison
  4. Do they even know they need to report it?!? by Samschnooks · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Ya know, there's these reports in the news about folks who are "breaking tax laws" and what not. Let me ask you folks this, How many of you check your local tax laws before engaging in a money making activity? I don't. I go ahead and worry about the tax consequences later.

    It's bad for an economy when an entrepreneur has to first take into consideration the taxes before engaging in a business enterprise or even consider them. That's just idiotic.

    Taxes are a necessity for a society, but when they become a burden and retard entrepreneurial activity, then its tax structure needs to be examined.

    Yes, BTW, I think prostitution should be legal.

    1. Re:Do they even know they need to report it?!? by MoellerPlesset2 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Ya know, there's these reports in the news about folks who are "breaking tax laws" and what not. Let me ask you folks this, How many of you check your local tax laws before engaging in a money making activity? I don't. I go ahead and worry about the tax consequences later.

      Ignorance of the law has never been an excuse for violating it. Besides which, it's not as if 'income tax' is something most people have never heard of. And 'worrying about the consequences later' is hardly a good idea in Sweden, for instance, where you're liable to incur a tax penalty for not registering beforehand.

      It's bad for an economy when an entrepreneur has to first take into consideration the taxes before engaging in a business enterprise or even consider them. That's just idiotic.

      No, 'idiotic' would be to start a business without taking taxes into consideration, as well as any other expenditures. Also, any other laws and regulations that might apply to the business you're doing.

      Taxes are a necessity for a society, but when they become a burden and retard entrepreneurial activity, then its tax structure needs to be examined.

      Either your employer withholds tax and pays it for you, or the responsibility is on your head. (Well actually it's always on your head, ultimately) How is that difficult?

    2. Re:Do they even know they need to report it?!? by Tacvek · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes. It is always A good idea to report all illegal income on the tax form. There is a special spot for it on the US tax forms, although I believe having a non-zero value for that line is is considered sufficient to issue an arrest/search warrant. (More on that later). Therefore The best course is to add it into the general income. I think that might technically be fraud, but the IRS would be very reluctant to prosecute any fraud that results in a greater amount of tax income.

      Many organized criminals have been very well known, with the police being pretty darn certain about various crimes that have been committed, but lacking enough evidence to obtain warrants. It is often quite possible that with a search warrant They could find enough evidence, but they lack the evidence to get a search warrant, and are rarely ever confident that they would find enough evidence to convict if a search warrant was executed. The last thing they want to do is upset a organized criminal by executing a search warrant, but end up with insufficient evidence to arrest him/her. Often times by the time they have enough evidence for a particular crime, the statute of limitations has made it impossible to prosecute them for it. But if the crime resulted in unlawful income that was not reported on the tax forms, they can still charge them with tax fraud.

      Little of that is probably news to those reading this post. But the important thing to remember is that quite a bit of that also applies to white collar crime. So the best course of action is to report any unlawful income, but not in the designated location, so as to avoid giving the police reason to obtain warrants. Not that I advocate having illegal income, but if you are going to do it, you might as well do it right.

      --
      Stylish sheet to fix many problems in Slashdot's D3: https://gist.github.com/801524
  5. Being informed about the rules by Peter+Cooper · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "They are young girls, we can see from the photos. We think that perhaps they are not well informed about the rules," he said.

    People are almost never well informed about the rules. When I left school, I didn't get a book of laws that informed me I'd have to pay tax (and how). The only reason I knew what to do was because I took advice from other self employed family members, so I've paid all my taxes throughout the years, no problems.

    But.. a lot of people sell things at casual sales, barter services, and do things online without paying tax. It's wrong, but I have a little sympathy for them, because this stuff just isn't taught in schools and the authorities don't go to any lengths to inform people about taxation issues. I mean, how many regular folks who barter things pay the tax on those transactions? Most people I know wouldn't even realize they have to!

  6. Re:I Volunteer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Vulcan blood is green, you insensitive clod! And close the basement door on the way up!

  7. Actual, direct quote from TFA by CopaceticOpus · · Score: 5, Funny

    "When we investigated the sites manually it worked better," he added.

    I'll bet it did.

  8. Re:Well... by dzfoo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Overtime!

    --
    Carol vs. Ghost
    ...Can you save Christmas?
  9. Wait a second... by downix · · Score: 4, Funny

    Tax agents get to do what?  **preps a resume for the IRS**

    --
    Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
  10. Re:losses, ha? by CRCulver · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I am always against taxes, these taxes are some of the more ridiculous ones.

    How do you propose paying for the high standard of living (among the highest in the world) in the Nordic countries? When I moved to Finland, I expected to feel a little irked upon seeing 40% of my income taken in taxes, but one I realized just how good we have it here, I say they could take a little more if they needed. While you personally may disagree with high taxation and wish to remain in the US (or even move somewhere cheaper), the strippers who are making loads of money without paying taxes are probably nonetheless enjoying the fruits of the welfare state, which is hypocritical.

  11. Re:Cue the Slashdot libertards by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 4, Informative

    At the foundation of the United States, taxation == property taxes. Income taxes were never envisioned, and when they were passed after the Civil War to pay for reconstruction of the South, many commentators thought they were unconstitutional. Many people still think they are unconstitutional.

    --
    My blog
  12. Re:I Volunteer... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Probably for roughly the same reasons that phone support techs think that users are "idiots" and "losers"...

    Just as working phone support means dealing with the self-selected population of users-who-can't-figure-it-out-for-themselves, being in the sex industry would mean dealing with the self-selected population of men who can't, or don't want to bother, inducing people to see sex with them as something one doesn't need to be compensated for.

  13. Re:Well... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Manually, adverb. "By means of the hand."

    I suspect that there may have been, shall we say, more than one "manual investigation" going on...

  14. I want a full report! by Un+pobre+guey · · Score: 4, Funny

    I need a full report immediately. URLs, logins and passwords used for research, all imagery from the sites that will be in the corpus of evidence including videos, names, phone numbers, price structures, everything!

  15. Re:Government goons hot on strippers tracks by CRCulver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Look at the Nordic countries before the introduction of the welfare state: massive emigration, with people pressed by hunger and poverty to go to some of the most deserted parts of North America. Now look at them after the introduction of the welfare state: economic successes, with high standards of living, a high level of happiness among the populace, and immigration. And this is a bad thing how?

  16. Yeah, right. by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    The search involves tax officials examining stripper websites, hours upon hours, for completely legitimate purposes.

    We have a slightly different enforcement issue in the Seattle area. Illegal activity in a few strip clubs. The police department spends quite a bit of time and money sending undercover officers to buy lap dances from the women looking for violations. With public funds, of course.

    OK guys, what about the activity in the gay clubs? Any volunteers for undercover duty?
    [Sound of crickets.]

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  17. You only have to pay tax if you get caught by Colin+Smith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't you know? Ask Timothy Geithner he'll tell you.

     

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    Deleted
  18. The line on this is so thin. by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you have a relationship with a girl and she takes her clothes off and you give her thousands of dollars a year, it's not taxable.
    Even if you were in a multiple spouse household, it would still be true (multiple guys supporting her).

    Without the "relationship" (one date? you don't have to be living together in the same house), it's taxable.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  19. Re:Government goons hot on strippers tracks by CRCulver · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The welfare state isn't just health care and unemployment. It's also free university education, excellent public libraries, excellent support for the arts (e.g. internationally famous orchestras and cheaper tickets to see them).

  20. Re:Queue Idiocracy by xerxesVII · · Score: 5, Funny

    The word you're looking for is "The".

    --
    "We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all." - Douglas Adams
  21. Welfare in the hood? by ClosedSource · · Score: 4, Informative

    Given the pitiful percentage we pay for a social safety net in the US compared to most other industrialized democracies, it barely qualifies as a Welfare Hood let alone a Welfare State.