Decision costs Bountiful leader nearly $150,000
By Contributor
The leader of polygamy community Bountiful, Winston Blackmore, has lost an appeal federal Tax Court that will cost nearly $150,000.
Blackmore had appealed a tax assessment that concluded he understated his income by $1.8 million dollars during a period of six years.
The Bountiful leader argued in court that an obscure section of tax law originally designed to allow Hutterite colonies to effectively divy up income among members for tax purposes should apply to the Creston-based community.
Blackmore says Bountiful practices a similar fundamentalist form of Mormonism that allows polygamy.
However, Judge Diane Campbell disagreed, ruling that Bountiful does not meet any of the criteria.
The Bountiful example goes against a statute required for such status, such as a prohibition on members owning property and a requirement that members live and work in the community.
Judge Campbell has ordered Blackmore’s income be re-assessed to include the additional $1.8 million, and she has also imposed penalties of nearly $150,000 for “gross negligence.”
Bountiful has been in the news for years and has been the target of numerous investigations, including a polygamy prosecution that fell apart in 2009, and a special prosecutor is once again considering possible criminal charges.
