The Rev. James Meeks has been a state senator for over seven years and he's blurred the line between politics and preaching long before he was elected to serve in Springfield. So why does it seem like he's only being asked about how he strikes a balance between rendering unto Caesar and God what is theirs now? We're guessing his mayoral campaign has something to do with it. more ›

The IRS is seeking $71 million in back taxes from former media tycoon/Sun-Times owner Conrad Black, who is serving 6 ½ years in prison for fraud and obstruction of justice. The IRS claims that Black paid no taxes from 1998 to 2003, when he earned a taxable income of $120 million. Black’s legal team refuted the claim, saying that during those years he “was neither a citizen nor a resident” of the United States during those years. In addition, Black’s tax court petition called the IRS bill baseless and “hopelessly biased.” The IRS denies it lacks basis for the bill. more ›

As thousands of Tea Partiers gather at plazas and federal buildings across the country today, the focus of their ire has posted his own tax documentation for all to inspect. President Obama has released his and Michelle's 2009 tax return on The White House website [link to the .pdf here] along with Vice President Biden and his wife Jill's. more ›

Hypocrisy, Thy Name is Stroger. As Cook County Board President Todd Stroger huffed and puffed in defense of his tax repeal veto yesterday, the Sun-Times' Chris Fusco played Fletch and did a little digging. His find? That the Toddler and his wife owe $12,000 in unpaid income taxes. According to the Sun-Times: more ›

Ah, those Economic Stimulus checks. Remember those heady days? The Summer of '08, when the government just handed us money and few did what they should have done (pay off credit card debts and mortgage payments) and instead stimulated the economy by purchasing that HDTV they didn't need. That worked well. According to the IRS, almost 100,000 Chicagoa-area residents haven't filed for theirs and the deadline is approaching. Tomorrow, in fact. Illinois ranks 7th nationally in terms of those who haven't filed. Those who still want to file can check out more info at the IRS website. All told, 4.3 million Americans have yet to file for the stimulus check for a total pay-out of $1.3 billion. Look...we know things are tight all over, but $1.3 billion? It wouldn't be the thing in the world if that goes unclaimed and the government could, you know, use it to pay off a small chunk of that $10 trillion debt, would it? more ›

Al Capone's IRS records are finally being made public, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request. (The IRS says, "All Federal tax records are confidential by law. The availability of historical records is highly unusual. However, the records of the criminal investigation of Al Capone below are of historical significance and of interest to the public.") The files are pretty amazing. more ›