scripod.com
The leaked tapes that show how the rich avoid taxes

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

The leaked tapes that show how the rich avoid taxes

Planet Money

22 HOURS AGO
Planet Money

Planet Money

22 HOURS AGO
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Tax avoidance -- that is, legally reducing your tax bill -- is as American as apple pie. But the line between tax avoidance and tax evasion is often a grey one.  On today’s show, a collaboration with Tax Notes, we listen in on the secret tapes that show h...

Highlights

This episode delves into the secretive world of tax avoidance for the ultra-wealthy, using a specific loophole as a case study. Through leaked recordings and insider accounts, it reveals how a legal tax strategy was born, grew, and was ultimately defended against a government crackdown, blurring the lines between smart planning and potential fraud.
00:00
The episode explores tax avoidance, focusing on a loophole involving Malta pension plans
08:33
A pitch deck shows how to avoid millions in taxes using the treaty.
11:21
Tax professionals publicly promoted a Malta pension plan loophole.
17:01
A recording reveals a meeting to defend the Malta tax loophole.
23:05
The blurred line between legal tax avoidance and illegal evasion

Chapters

The Secret Tapes: How the IRS Hunts for Tax Crimes and the Birth of a Loophole
00:00
A Treaty Twist: How a 2008 Agreement Created a Supercharged, Tax-Free Retirement Account
05:42
The Pitch and the Promise: Why Tax Professionals Believed the Malta Scheme Was Legal
11:21
The Crackdown and the Counterattack: How a Trump Official Fought to Save the Loophole
17:01
The Loophole's Legacy: Did the Wealthy Win the Battle Against the IRS?
23:05

Transcript

Speaker 6: This message comes from Avalara. What's it like running a business with Avalara? No thinking about tax and compliance. It's handled. Calculating, filing, validating, accurately and audit defensively. Avalara. Agentic tax and compliance with conf...