Why you need to check your social network before the start of the tax season in the USA

If you think your social media posts don't matter much, think again. The French government has announced that next year it will begin to study the social networks of citizens in order to identify those who evade taxes. While the US government - which is surprising to many - is already doing this, although not so openly.

Фото: Depositphotos

Gerald Darmanen, Minister of Budget, State Accounts and the Civil Administration of France, made this statement in an interview that gave the news show "Capital", writes Forbes.

Darmanen said the government plans to analyze data from social media pages to determine whether certain taxpayers are living beyond their means. Authorities “will be able to see, for example, if you have a lot of pictures next to a luxury car, while there is no money to buy and maintain it. Of course, it’s entirely possible that your cousin or girlfriend lent you this car… or maybe not,” says Darmanen. But don’t forget that they will be looking at publicly available data.

Sounds weird? Do not be surprised, this is already happening in other countries, including the United States, although not in such an organized and public manner. The government has many tools, including on social networks, to investigate possible tax fraud. In one of the most notorious cases, Rashia Wilson from Tampa, Fla., Showed off on Facebook photos in which she was surrounded by piles of money. The woman wrote:

“I'm Rashia, IRS Tax Fraud Queen. For the record: I'm a millionaire. If you think indicting me will be easy, it's not. I promise you".

Photo: YouTube frame

In fact, Rashia regularly showed off her crimes online. In court, Assistant US Attorney Mandy Riedel read excerpts from Wilson's Facebook page out loud as evidence. Wilson was sentenced to 21 year of imprisonment and payment of restitution.

Analyzing taxpayers' social networks is just one of many ideas the French government is using to combat tax fraud. The country is also creating a new “tax police force.” It's all part of a new law passed just a few weeks ago that gives French tax authorities more options to combat tax evasion.

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