Oh, I dunno, I can't say I don't blame him. Still, something tells me he probably could have swung $25K by whoring himself out to marketing. I mean, going to space with Golden Palace tattooed on your head and wearing a winged Red Bull bodysuit may not be optimal, but it's still space.

I still think our tax laws are ridiculous if he would have to owe all that just to take a free trip...

Not very many people can pull $25k out of the butts subby.. If you can then you're lucky.

Couldn't he have sold the ticket?

It's ok, give it 20 years and we'll be taking the Virgin Space Ways Shuttle to the Moon for under $1000.

Don't tax prizes. Tax churches.

Oracle should have been picked up the tab.

I kinda feel bad for the guy, but if I were in his position, I'd find a way to get that 25k.

He must already be buried in debt.

KvanCetre

Agreed.

You can go to space for 25k?

Can I bring my camera? Will my camera work in space? I think I could make at least 25k selling the prints from that little jaunt.

Emmett realized he would have to report the $138,000 galactic joy ride as income and owe $25,000 in taxes.

Ahh fark, it's $138k, guess I'm not going yet. I thought that shiat was on sale.

scifarker

Most contest prizes are non-transferable. That's why Oracle is selecting another winner from the original pool.

I always wonder about the people who win the $1,500 toaster on Wheel of Fortune. Most of them look like they don't know how to pay taxes anyway.

If it were'nt for taxes. We would'nt have nothing to biatch about until uncle sam comes and drags us to pmita prison for standing up to an unjust tax...Taxation without representaion...But every government represenative is too rich to give a crap abut you anyways...More money to light those cuban cigars...

Oracle should have been picked up the tab.

If they did, he'd have to pay tax on that too. Ridiculous.

Winnings shouldn't be taxed whatsoever, neither should property. Only income you EARN should be taxed.

For something like this I'd find a way to come up with that money no matter what. Space... dude, there is nothing I wouldn't do to go to space.

Also, American tax laws are farking as farking shiat.
/Canadian

why didnt he just rob a bank. i dont think the moon has a extradition treaty with the us.

Jeez, didn't he see Apollo 13? He doesn't have to pay taxes while he's out of the country. ;)

Some contest sponsors provide a check to cover taxes, but that income is also taxable.

This is the dumbest rule ever.

Don't blame the guy at all, and I'm sad for him. It's one thing to hit the lotto and just take the taxes out of your winnings, but this is different.

I would suggest applying for a low rate business loan, then somehow making publicity out of it... a website or something. Nothing is impossible, there are many ways to get 25k... you just gotta look.

/understands financial hardship
//always be positive
///taxes can be unreasonable

shiat, I paid 25k in taxes this year, and that's only counting federal tax, not state tax, or social security tax.

Give me the ticket dude, I can pay the tax on it. I just couldn't afford the 138k to begin with.

/then someone would have to pay the gift tax on top of the income tax

$25,000 is less than the average new car. I don't see why this guy passed up a once-in-a-lifetime chance. And when you come back, you get at least a few merchandising opportunities, or speaking at conferences or something.

who pays taxes these days anyway

Idiotic tax laws that need to DIAF aside, at what point did he fail to realize that any "gift" has taxes that come with it? Has he watched ANY game show in the last 20 years? ANY and ALL taxes from winnings are the responsibility of the winner.

He could have whored himself out like the paper clip for a house guy. Marketing apparently isn't his thing.

/woulda coulda shoulda.

Brian Emmett?

I came in expecting farkers to be bashing this moran. WTF folks?! 25k to go into space. This guy is a software developer in san fran (and from the contest probably a pretty good one) He's making good money. He is a goddamn moron. Borrow against your 401k. Scrap a little even if its for a year. This guy needs a cockpunch BAD

Even the really smart ones can be complete dumbasses.

Win a bently? not worth the $25k in taxes.
Win a house? Sweet, but likely going to have to sell.
A Spacetrip?!? How often does that come along?

"Some contest sponsors provide a check to cover taxes, but that income is also taxable.

This is the dumbest rule ever."

So keep covering the checks until the tax liability is down to 50 cents and pay it.

Count me in as a stupid cheap geek.

Brian then walked down the street to purchase a $35,000 Lexus with a 6 year loan. Hint


When he's 70 and there still have only been 500 astronauts, he's not going think this was such a wise decision.

Trollin trollin trollin.....

He's just afraid of blowing up.

what a dipshiat.


25k is nothing .


i think i owe 10k just to MACYS.


i still owe 54k to my university.


And besides .... just OWE it to uncle same and work out a payment plan.... over the next billion years.
He is a liar, this wasnt his BIG LIFE LONG DREAM after all.

How can someone be so smart and dumb at the same time?

It seems idiotic that you have to pay takes when you don't get anything tangible. I mean, sure, if you win a car, or some money, pay taxes. But a trip doesn't give you anything. Why are you paying taxes on it?

From TFA:
Another option is working out an installment plan to pay taxes over time, said Greg Jenner of the American Bar Association.


$100 a month for the rest of my farkin' life,I wouldn't care as long as I got to see the stars

Maybe he just doesn't like the idea of going to space?

Someone else will glady take his seat.

/Like ME dammit ME oh pick me! Hey Ellison! Over here!

1)Outerspace trip taxes: $25,000
2)Exclusive prints of trip on Getty royalty images: $39.99 under 1MB, $119.99 full size (might be higher these days)
3) 208 downloads of full size image with 90 day license: $25,000
3.5) 209 downloads of same: Profit.
4) Sucker code jockey in overpriced San Fran: loss.

/gimme that damn trip idiot. I'll make it happen.

there has to be a way to get some speaking engagements or something... hell, write a book if you have to. point is, 25k isnt an insurmountable amount of cash especially when you are in position to whore yourself out to the media.

Yeah, I think nobody is going to say this guy is an idiot because why state the obvious.
/oh, nevermind
//slashies?
///nevermind again.

Just a gentle reminder for all you land-of-the-free types : the US is almost unique in taxing winnings before the fact.

In fact, they're almost unique in taxing winnings.

This isn't necessarily a good thing.

This is stupid... a chance of a lifetime and this loser can't come up with 25K?

i would go into debt to go to space. its space. opportunities like this are once in a lifetime.

The $50,000 check that comes with the prize, which is valued at $253,500, should cover the winner's taxes, said Brian Marr, group marketing manager for Vista.

That's a bunch of crap. If they're targeting Silicon Valley geeks, those people are in the 35% tax bracket, which means they owe $88,000 on a prize of $253,000.

$25,000,,,,Pocket change

Oh, I'm in that 35% bracket. You mean not everyone else is?

/Not in silicone valley. Not a g33k.

Where is it written he has to pay the taxes before he actually receives the prize (ie, going on the trip)? Not that I'm advocating not paying taxes, but space is space.

He's not a geek then, just pretending... I wonder if he has a secret MBA degree or something.

im already far into debt, luckily I could easily pull cash out of my ass if need be. In other words, No way in hell id have passed this shiat up!

It's not like he gave up the chance to go into space tomorrow. He won a chance to be on a private space flight IF such a thing exists in his (healthy) life time.

I'm a huge space nut, and would kill for such a chance, but I can easily see where he's coming from. Debt today vs maybe doing the coolest thing ever. It's a gamble and one that he may not be able to afford.

The guy is 32 right now (I think, he was 30 when the prize was announced), the chances of him not being healthy enough to pass the physical for the trip when it comes up are high.

I'm sure he'll kick himself if his gamble turns out to be wrong, but I think he's playing the odds right.

Yes the tax laws are obnoxious. But even crappy porn stars can get paid $25k for a money shot.....and none of them went to space. Yet.