[grundle]

This is the complete text of the blog, which was written by me. There is a poll at the link.

If any lurkers from DU are reading this, please post a link to the poll over there. Thanks.

[slumber1]

Send the stuffed eagle to the IRS as payment and demand they refund you $35.8 million

[lurk]

Insure it, put it in the back of an old pickup, drive the truck to Detroit, leave the truck parked with the keys in it, walk away.

[frogjerk]

If there is no legal market value than the market value is 0

[frogjerk]

However, the IRS has decided that the sculpture is worth $65 million, and has sent the owner an inheritance tax bill of $29.2 million.

How can the government expect a person to pay a tax that through no fault of their own incurred and has no possible means of legally selling in order to pay such tax?

On another note, how did the IRS learn of the statue?

[MasterGunner01]

Gift it to the IRS and take a $29.2 million loss.

Or, take it to the bomb disposal range and have the local bomb techs blow the thing into micro bits. You can;t tax it if it no longer exists.

[El Laton Caliente]

Donate it to a charity and write 65 million off your taxes...

[G Larry]

Because any sale would be illegal, there is no market, thus, no market value.

The IRS position is arbitrary AND capricious, in addition to being selectively persecutorial.
There is no basis, under the law, for the IRS finding, and further pursuit of this action should be cause for criminal prosecution of individuals involved.