Tag: Tax Dodge

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BREAKING: Governor J.B. Pritzker Is Under Federal Criminal Investigation

Feds are looking into Pritzker for his toilet removal “scheme to defraud” Cook County taxpayers, which lowered the property taxes on his multi-million dollar Chicago mansion by $331,000

“An Illinois governor under federal criminal investigation 101 days into office must be a new record – even for Illinois. We already knew Pritzker was a serial tax dodger. He stashes millions offshore in zero-tax Bahamas bank accounts and took the toilets out of his Chicago mansion to dodge over $330,000 in property taxes. The Cook County Independent Inspector General called it ‘a scheme to defraud’ taxpayers. Yet Pritzker continues to push tax hikes on Illinois families and businesses – absurd hypocrisy from Pritzker.

“J.B. Pritzker can’t be trusted. Pritzker must immediately cease all of his efforts to raise taxes, including his graduated income tax, because he’s under federal criminal investigation for not paying his own taxes.” – Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider

A law enforcement source has revealed that Governor J.B. Pritzker, his wife, and brother-in-law are under federal criminal investigation for their Chicago mansion toilet removal “scheme to defraud” Cook County taxpayers. Last year, it was revealed that Pritzker, who is worth $3.5 billion, removed the toilets in his Chicago mansion so he could lower his property tax bill by $331,000.

WBEZ broke the story:

“Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, his wife and his brother-in-law are under federal criminal investigation for a dubious residential property tax appeal that dogged him during his gubernatorial campaign last year, WBEZ has learned.

” …The developments demonstrate that the billionaire governor and his wife may face a serious legal threat arising from their controversial pursuit of a property tax break on a 126-year-old mansion they purchased next to their Gold Coast home.

“A Cook County inspector general’s report, first published by the Chicago Sun-Times, later found MK Pritzker directed workers to remove all toilets from the mansion in order to have it declared “uninhabitable,” which gave the Pritzkers a huge property tax break. The report also found that Lovely and the governor’s brother-in-law, Thomas J. Muenster, made “false representations” on tax appeal documents.

“The county watchdog said all of that amounted to a “scheme to defraud” taxpayers out of more than $331,000.”

Pritzker is a serial tax dodger. In addition to his “scheme to defraud” Cook County property taxpayers, Pritzker has parked millions of dollars offshore in zero-tax Bahamas, dodging an untold amount of taxes – absurd hypocrisy from tax-hiking Pritzker.

J.B. Pritzker must immediately cease his efforts to raise taxes, including his graduated income tax, because he’s under federal criminal investigation for not paying his own taxes.

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J.B. Pritzker Should Domesticate His Overseas Holdings In Illinois And Subject Them To Higher Tax Rates He Proposed

ILGOP Chairman Schneider: “As one of Illinois’ richest residents and leading tax hike proponents, it’s time for Gov. Pritzker to pay his fair share”

“It’s time to end Governor Pritzker’s tax hypocrisy. Pritzker says he ‘chooses fairness’ when it comes to raising taxes, yet Pritzker is the beneficiary of many overseas holdings that allow him to dodge untold millions in state and federal taxes. If Pritzker truly believes that rich people such as himself have an obligation to pay more in taxes to the State of Illinois, Pritzker should take the first step and domesticate his overseas holdings in Illinois so they would be subject to the higher tax rates he has proposed for the people of Illinois.

“As one of Illinois’ richest residents and leading tax hike proponents, it’s time for Governor Pritzker to pay his fair share, before expecting Illinois taxpayers to pay more. Tax fairness should start with our governor.” – Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider

Last week, Governor J.B. Pritzker finally released the specific tax rates of his plan to raise taxes on Illinois families and businesses. When you factor in the Personal Property Replacement Tax, Pritzker’s tax hike plan will hit corporations and trusts domiciled in the state of Illinois with a 10.45% and 9.45% tax rate, respectively, making it “one of the highest in the nation.”

During the course of last year’s gubernatorial campaign, Illinois voters learned that Pritzker is the beneficiary of many overseas trusts based in the Bahamas and Cayman Islands. Those trusts are not subject to taxes. Pritzker attempted to skirt the topic by saying there was nothing he could do about the trusts set up by his grandfather in the 1960s, and that all of his money from those trusts go to his charitable foundation.

But a Chicago Tribune investigated found that Pritzker himself utilizes overseas tax havens for his personal business ventures. Several overseas shell corporations were set up by Pritzker and his associates between 2008 and 2011. According to the Tribune, those corporations “are either wholly owned by J.B. Pritzker, his brother and business partner Anthony Pritzker, or list other close associates as controlling executives.”

All told, the Tribune found “35 offshore and domestic trusts and shell companies tied to Pritzker on top of the dozen offshore investment funds.”

Financial experts told the Tribune that the investment tactics used by Pritzker helped him maintain the secrecy of his overseas holdings while minimizing the tax liability.

When the investigation broke, Pritzker tax hike supporter Dan Biss said “J.B. Pritzker set up companies offshore, probably to avoid taxes and spent the entire past year lying about it.”

In 2008, The New York Times said the Pritzker family were “pioneers in using tax loopholes to shelter their holdings from the internal revenue service.” And J.B. Pritzker’s sister, Penny Pritzker, became the subject of media scrutiny after some of her overseas holdings were revealed in the Paradise Papers.

If Pritzker truly believes that rich people such as himself have an obligation to pay more in taxes to the State of Illinois, Pritzker should take the first step and domesticate his overseas holdings in Illinois so they would be subject to the higher tax rates he has proposed for the people of Illinois.

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Pritzker Has Yet To Take Questions On “Misleading” Statement About His Offshore Shell Companies

With just one day to go before the Illinois primary, will J.B. Pritzker respond to allegations that he’s offering misleading statements to reporters about his offshore Bahamas shell companies?

On Saturday, J.B. Pritzker reportedly stated: “I haven’t moved any money off shore and I don’t invest offshore it’s not apart of what I do.” Pritzker was called out by NBC Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern, who tweeted, “How can @JBPritzker say this now?” Ahern also called Pritzker’s statement “misleading.”

The Chicago Tribune specifically “found several offshore shell companies created between 2008 and 2011…that are either wholly owned by J.B. Pritzker, his brother and business partner Anthony Pritzker, or list other close associates as controlling executives.”

J.B. Pritzker needs to come clean, because it appears as if Pritzker is intentionally lying to voters just hours before the polls open.

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