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Episode 9 Part 3
CATHY COLINA, a tax accountant, is a playful woman who enjoys helping people. She examines Tshombe's letter from the IRS. CATHY: Um, hmm. I see the problem. You need to pay the correct amount of income tax. TSHOMBE: I paid all my taxes. CATHY: (off the letter) I think there's a problem with your deductions. TSHOMBE: Deductions? CATHY: Yes. It's the money that you're allowed to subtract? TSHOMBE: I only deducted my business expenses, medical expenses and my gift to charity. CATHY: Well, you deducted lemons. That's okay. Your business expenses look fine. (reading) You also deducted twenty cases of sugar and three hundred bags of ice? TSHOMBE: Yes, that's right. CATHY: Well, your medical expenses look okay. But you did deduct a lot for charity. Which charity? TSHOMBE: My mother. CATHY: You can't claim your mother as a charity. But you can claim her as a dependent. TSHOMBE: A dependent? CATHY: A dependent is someone who lives with you. You pay for their food and rent. TSHOMBE: No, she lives in Ghana. But I send her money every month. CATHY: Hmm. Well, there is a way to claim a relative in a different country as a dependent. But as a dependent, she must earn less than $2,800 a year and she must receive half her support from you. TSHOMBE: (discouraged)I can't claim her. She makes more than $2,800. Are there any other deductions I can claim? CATHY: Are you married? Do you have any children? TSHOMBE: I would love to have a wife and children. But unfortunately, I don't have them yet. CATHY: Okay. I see another problem. It says you made $10,000 last year? TSHOMBE: Yes, that's what I wrote. CATHY: But your bank statement said you deposited more than $15,000 last year. Do you have two jobs? TSHOMBE: No, I only have one job. CATHY: Did you report all your income? TSHOMBE: No. I report all my income, then I'll have to pay too much in taxes. CATHY: Mr. Gabriel, taxes aren't meant to punish you. They help run the country. They pay for important things like schools, roads and even the police. So it's important that you're completely honest with the IRS. TSHOMBE: I understand, but don't you see? I can't afford to be honest. CATHY: You can't afford to break the law either. If you don't pay all of your taxes, you could be in big trouble. The IRS can charge you with civil fraud or tax evasion. TSHOMBE: Tax evasion? CATHY: That means that you lied so you didn't have to pay taxes. The IRS can charge you a big fine and they can send you to prison. I suggest you tell the truth. Tshombe doesn't look convinced. Cold, institutional decor. Various IRS posters/propaganda hang on the walls. An older man, SIMON, peruses Tshombe's record. He's paranoid and suspicious that people are always cheating and lying on their taxes. SIMON: It says here, Mr. Gabriel, that you sell lemonade. Is that correct? TSHOMBE: Yes. SIMON: And you have no other job. And no other income? TSHOMBE: Yes. SIMON: All right. Now, it says here you made $10,000 last year. Is that true? Tshombe loosens his collar and shifts in his seat. TSHOMBE: $10,000? Um, well, if I made more than that, I owe more money in taxes, right? SIMON: That's right. SIMON: Yes. If you have no other deductions. Well? Did you make more money or not? WIZARD: And freeze!
