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Nick Diaz: 'I've never paid taxes in my life, I'm probably gonna go to jail'

5K views 50 replies 35 participants last post by  Joabbuac 
#1 ·
Nick Diaz following UFC 158: 'I've never paid taxes in my life, I'm probably gonna go to jail'


By Brent Brookhouse on Mar 18 2013, 10:00a


Nick Diaz claims he has never paid taxes following his loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158. Given that he has made roughly $800,000 just in disclosed pay since 2011 (not counting the GSP fight), Diaz could very well be in serious trouble.


Nick Diaz's behavior following his loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 158 has been somewhat predictable. Following a fairly lopsided loss, Diaz once again decided that he should retire. He also spoke in the cage following his loss and at the press conference, saying he didn't want to make excuses, followed by making a list of excuses.

That kind of behavior is expected from Diaz.

What isn't, however, is Nick announcing to the world at the press conference that he's never paid taxes.Here's the quote from our transcript of the post fight presser:


Media Member: "If you don't retire and you do stay with this, it sounds like not being fully happy with your team, where you're at, and if you did stay with this, what would you do? Would you change teams, would you..."




Diaz: "No, I can't be jumpin' teams. I just have to invest a little more...you know, now that I have a little bit more...you know, I've never paid taxes in my life, I'm probably gonna go to jail. (media laughs) That's not because I don't have, that's not because - what, nobody wants to hear about that, nobody wants to hear about that kind of talk, or what's really going on with me. But I might as well just be a kid, you know, I've had fight after fight after fight after fight, you know. You don't know what that does to someone who didn't graduate high school. You don't understand. Everyone has to take that - well, nobody has to do shit, but you can take that into consideration for a second, think about what three fights a year will do to you your whole life. And the only time you have some time off is, like a vacation, everyone's telling you you're this piece of shit, suspended, you know, you ain't fightin' this guy, you ain't fightin' that guy. You're gonna come back and have to dance around with a bunch of hard-hitting people. It's just not...it's just...it's a rough sport."
ESPN had some thoughts from Dana White on the situation:


"At the end of the day, Nick has been in the sport forever. He wanted a shot at the title, he got a shot at the title and he got paid a lot of money for it. What's sad is he better go pay those taxes, a soon as he gets that check."
White said he may speak to Diaz's lawyer to see if he can help.

Here are a list of Diaz's disclosed payouts since 2011:



●vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 143 - $200,000
●vs. B.J. Penn at UFC 137 - $200,000 + $75,000 fight of the night bonus
●vs. Paul Daley at Strikeforce - $175,000
●vs. Cyborg Santos at Strikeforce - $150,000



That's right around $800,000 just in disclosed pay, not counting this weekend's bouts. If Diaz truly has not paid taxes on any of that money, he could be in a world of trouble.

The IRS is also very consistent about going after people who challenge them publicly, so if he hasn't paid, he's almost certainly going to get caught now.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/3/18/4118490/nick-diaz-ufc-158-never-paid-taxes-jail
 
#3 ·
Maybe he wil be locked up with Wesley Snipes and can pick up some pointers..:D














jk, speaking from personal experiences the f*cking IRS will get their money without exception. I think California has a state income tax on top of federal taxes. Sucks to be in Nicks position if he really has never paid any taxes..
 
#4 ·
I'm calling BS! He complains about his pay all the ******* time, if he's telling the truth he's severely f*cked himself over this time.

Either he has no financial awareness, or he's an immature, liying shit who wants a bit of attention on himself as he certainly ain't getting the attention from being a Champion!

I think it's a BS attempt to look rebellious and get the headlines back on himself again...what a sad lowlife.
 
#6 ·
I'm not sure how well looked after Nick Diaz is out of the octagon. It maybe he has people looking after this side of things for him, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't got a clue exactly whats happening with his cash.

For as good a fighter as he is he really is vulnerable in basic life matters like this. The UFC should investigate this on his behalf and appoint financial advisers on his behalf if they believe he is being screwed or just not taking care of his money properly.

I'm not a big Nick Diaz fan, but I'd hate to see him he broke, or ripped off after putting his health on the line.
 
#7 ·
There is no way in hell that he would say this, if it were true. Is there ?

Diaz is stupid, but this would be beyond stupid. Most likely a flippant comment designed to create attention.
 
#9 ·
He's not alone.

In response to the Occupy Wall Street outcry over wealth and income inequality in America, conservative politicians and organizations are quick to point out that the richest Americans pay the largest share of taxes. For example, the top 20 percent of Americans earn 53.4 percent of the total U.S. income, but pay 67.2 percent of total income tax [source: Tax Policy Center]. To drive the point home, conservatives express shock at the fact that more than half of all Americans pay no Federal income tax at all. Occupy Wall Street may be the "99 percent," but let's give some credit to the "53 percent" who keep the country in business, right? But is this statistic true?

In 2009, according to a memo from the Joint Committee on Taxation, a bi-partisan Congressional committee, only 49 percent of Americans owed money on their Federal income tax returns [source: PolitiFact]. So yes, it's true that more than half of all Americans paid no Federal income tax in the tax year 2009, and the number of people who did pay taxes was even lower -- 51 percent, not 53 percent. For tax year 2011, the non-partisan Tax Policy Center estimates that only 54 percent of Americans will pay Federal income tax.

As with any statement of this nature, there are some qualifiers and distinctions to be made. First of all, these numbers refer to Federal income taxes, not all income taxes and withholdings. Most workers have money withheld from each paycheck as mandatory contributions to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. If you're self-employed, you pay 15.3 percent of your gross earnings in so-called payroll taxes. If you're employed by someone else, you pay 7.65 percent and your employer pays the same amount [source: Social Security Administration]. Many workers are also subject to state and local income taxes, property taxes and sales taxes, in addition to Federal income taxes [source: Khimm].

That said, why don't 49 percent of Americans owe any federal income tax on April 15th? There are two main reasons: income level and tax benefits. The tax system in the United States is designed to be progressive, meaning that higher incomes are asked to pay a larger percentage in taxes. If your income level is relatively low, standard deductions and exemptions can quickly lower your tax burden to zero. According to the Tax Policy Center, a non-partisan research center, a family of four earning $26,400 a year will pay no taxes because the $11,600 standard deduction plus four exemptions of $3,700 each will lower their taxable income to zero [source: Williams].

Roughly half of Americans who pay no Federal income tax do so because they simply don't earn enough money. The other half doesn't pay taxes because of special provisions in the tax code that benefit certain taxpayers, notably the elderly and working families with children. For example, the tax code excludes a portion of Social Security income and gives larger standard deductions and tax credits to the elderly. And many working families with children qualify for both the child credit and the earned income tax credit. Together, the elderly and working families with children account for 74 percent of all nontaxable households that aren't excluded by income level alone [source: Williams].

So who are the 49 percent of Americans who don't pay income taxes? The vast majority are the lowest income households, the elderly and young working families with children.
http://money.howstuffworks.com/only-53-percent-pay-income-tax.htm
 
#13 ·
Diaz did himself no favors annoucing this publicly.

I have to think that he has some really crappy handlers. His inner circle of advisors haven't convinced him to keep his mouth shut when necessary, they haven't convinced him to show up at obligatory events, they haven't even convinced him to manage his financial affairs to the bare minimum. Maybe they've tried and Diaz just doesn't listen to anybody, I don't know. If he ends up going to jail over it, he'll certainly be longing for the bad-ole-days when he was a well-paid fighter in the UFC.
 
#25 ·
I dont understand how some of you guys are blaming schools or other nonsense.

Handling your money and paying taxes is COMMON ******* SENSE. Anyone and Everyone should know how to handle their money and plan for the future to a certain extent. It isnt until you think about investing in something that you should get some professional advice. Some of you act like it is NASA level type shit.
 
#27 ·
Sideways22: Don't know if you knew or not, but Nick face didn't get that way by being hit repeatedly with a clue stick.

It may well be that he is capable of doing simple tax returns, or at least understanding how to use a phone and call an accountant ... but that would presuppose that he actually wanted to pay his taxes and felt like it was something he should do. If Nick doesn't want to do something, I seriously doubt 'common sense' and 'repercussions' weigh heavily in any thought Nick might give to the situation.
 
#31 ·
Well i can see why he might not be smart enough to use turbo tax himself but he sure as hell can go drive over to H&r block and get it done. If he is simply unwilling to pay taxes then he deserves to go to jail. Why does someone deserve pity when they make a SHIT load more money then most people but are unwilling to pay their taxes??? They dont. If that is the case for Nick then i hope he gets arrested tomorrow morning.

And it isnt just this tax thing.

He bitches about how he does not have enough money to buy a house and that no one wants to live where he lives. The guy makes ALOT of money and could have nearly everything he wanted. And he does not need professional advice or someone taking care of him or a better education for that to happen. All he needs is some common sense and drive. If he does not care enough then that is his own problem and no one elses. He made his own bed now he needs to start lying in it.
 
#28 ·
some of you act like nick is your average joe, its like your brainwashed christian from childhood, you may not agree at all with their methods but you understand that they never knew better and have been brainwashed from growing up in said environment.
 
#29 ·
You know, Owns. I have lived around people like him and I will tell you one thing. They know all about tax time. Every years they get those taxes in on day one and go blow it the second it hits their account. Not paying taxes is generally a crime of the rich and the unbelievably stupid. This has absolutely jack and/or shit to do with his upbringing.

It has a lot more to do with him being an idiot. If true.
 
#30 ·
It does because he was raised people who doesn't give a shit about the rules, you think nick cares about any rules? I don't think he does
 
#32 ·
Owns - It's not about the rules. It's about him growing up poor. You grow up poor and in that kind of neighborhood you don't file taxes because you're patriotic. You file it because you want a new tv.
 
#33 ·
Owns - It's not because he respects the rules. It's because he grew up poor. You grow up poor and in that kind of neighborhood you don't file taxes because you're patriotic. You file it because you want a new tv.
Well whatever the reason is I find it nearly gobsmacking but not really that people always seem to be shocked that nicj will say what he says or does what he does, you know what will shock me? if he murders someone or rapes someone. That would be shocking news to me
 
#34 ·
He is an independent contractor whose pay in most cases is not taxed so he's gotta set some aside to pay when tax season rolls around; a lot of people cannot manage banking a third or more of their pay on their own and leaving it untouched. Wouldn't be surprised if Nick is this way, and I think this is related to a lot of rich people's tax problems. Nick needs a damn accountant.

That said, I don't think he's going to be doing any time. The IRS is not stupid- they don't want to put people in jail, where they can't earn money, and in fact cost money to charge, try, and incarcerate. Their goal is to get that money and reserve prosecution for the few that need to be made examples of, like active evaders who are not just ignoring filing (lots of people don't file regularly), but lying on their returns, ignoring demands to make payment, etc. He'll be racking up interest the whole time, but from his first contact he'll get a lot of chances to set up reasonable payment plans (which once again, he just needs a goddamn accountant to make sure actually get followed thru on).
 
#43 ·
Liking a fighter and accepting the fact that same fighter can't get his shot together are two completely different things. Sure he can fight but he can't even make a phone call to hire someone to take care of his finances. Its funny because he insulted Georges before the fight for hiring people to do things for him........

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