NYC MAYOR SUES FOUR COUNTRIES FOR TAX EVASIONS

DeutschePresse no url | 4/10/3

[NativeNewYorker]

New York (dpa) - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has sued four foreign governments for failing to pay an estimated 100 million dollars in back taxes on their diplomatic properties, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

Topping the four governments is Turkey, which has a mission to the United Nations and is said to owe to the city back taxes and interests amounting to 70 million dollars.

Next is the Philippines, which maintains a consulate on Fifth Avenue and owes 17.7 million dollars; India's mission to the U.N. owes 16.4 million dollars and Mongolia's mission owes 2 million dollars.

``Although we are proud to be the host city of the United Nations, one thing we simply cannot afford is to be taken advantage of by our guests, especially considering our fiscal condition,'' The News quoted Bloomberg as saying.

Back taxes and interests those four governments owe to the city date back to 1973. Some governments have contented that they do not have to pay taxes because of their diplomatic immunity.

The four governments being sued have used their offices for rent to make additional money or to house their staff, The News said.

Bloomberg's administration is besieged by a severe budget deficit since the attacks by terrorists against the World Trade Center in September 11, 2001. The attacks deeply hurt the local economy, which has yet to recover, and has deprived the city of tens of millions of dollars in business taxes.

[sarasota]

What took so long to file this claim?

[areafiftyone]

Whoa!!

[AlextheWise1]

umm .. isnt mongolia owned by china?....

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[Teacher317]

Ping!!

Got $70 mil? ;^)

[blau993]

Sure. They use the same conman's trick the old USSR used to use to get multiple votes in the UN. Pretend these are autonomous countries entitled to separate membership. The USSR used to be able to get something like a dozen votes in the General Assembly using that ruse.

[martin_fierro]

Bloomberg will be long out of office by the time NYC collects on a judgement (if ever).

[Poohbah]

Actually, they only got TWO votes. Ukraine and USSR.

Truman said "hell, we'll just give each state in the United States a UN ambassador."

[Poohbah]

umm .. isnt mongolia owned by china?....

No.

[KC_Conspirator]

Bloomberg just can't wait to tax everybody. He is lousty mayor in a city that has had some very bad ones (Dinkins, Koch, Lindsey(?)). I cringe at what would happen if Mark Green had won though.

[blau993]

No. They got votes for each of the Baltic states, Ukraine, Byelorussia, and, I think, for each of the various "Stans."

[Poohbah]

No. They got votes for each of the Baltic states, Ukraine, Byelorussia, and, I think, for each of the various "Stans."

I seem to recall that it wasn't that way at all.

[FeliciaCat]

"What took so long to file this claim?"

EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!!!!! And while he is at it, Bloomy might want to try collecting all the Diplomats parking ticket fines, which are in the $100,000's for some countries!!!!!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

They don't have to pay those taxes because of diplomatic immunity. What a feckless bunch of morons.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Just Russia, the Ukraine and Byelorussia got separate votes. Amazingly, they were all voting in absolute lockstep with every communist country, and with the frequent support of France and India.

We evil, imperialistic Americans couldn't even get the support of countries in our own hegemy half the time.

[Poohbah]

Feh! What kind of weakling khesterex would tolerate that?

The game of Komerex zha is not for those of weak livers!

[aristeides]

I take it the tax is on alleged nondiplomatic uses of their property.

But even if the city's claim holds up in court, I wonder how they could ever collect on a judgment.

[Poohbah]

But even if the city's claim holds up in court, I wonder how they could ever collect on a judgment.

With some of these countries, they'll just garnish a portion of their foreign aid check.

[aristeides]

I suspect the State Department would have something to say about that. In fact, that suggests another reason why any suit by NYC would probably fail. The State Department would probably intervene, arguing that the suit interferes with national foreign policy.