Chris Tucker to Pay $3.6M In Settlement Over Back Taxes Case

Winston Cho
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Chris Tucker will pay $3.6 million to settle claims he shorted the government on taxes when he was at the peak of his fame.

The deal reached on Monday will cover unpaid federal income tax liabilities for 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The government sought roughly $9.68 million.

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Tucker has been wrapped up in various disputes over his taxes since 2010. In 2014, he settled a $14 million bill with the Internal Revenue Service after a lien was placed on one of his properties. At the time, his reps blamed “poor accounting and business management.”

But the Rush Hour star’s financial troubles didn’t end there. The government sued in 2021 to collect back taxes on years he filed his taxes too late.

Tucker entered into discussions in 2010, 2011 and 2016 to pay the IRS back in installments ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 over a 10-year period, according to the complaint. The deals broke apart because he’d be unable to fully pay off the balance before the 10 year period in which the agency is allowed to collect taxes for a given year.

The complaint indicated that the IRS struggled to obtain payments from Tucker, who allegedly had “sufficient equity and cash to fully pay the taxes” but declined to do so. Prosecutors said reps for Tucker were “upset” because the agency repeatedly rejected installment agreements and that the actor pushed “for the IRS to keep an open mind about reaching a resolution for Mr. Tucker’s unpaid tax liabilities.”

In 2011, Tucker failed to pay an agreed-upon $2 million lump sum to settle part of his balance, the lawsuit claimed. The IRS agreed to accept partial payments after he provided verification that he was in the process of selling one of his properties in Georgia.

At various points, the IRS pushed for Tucker to liquidate his assets to pay off part of his tax liabilities, according to the complaint. In 2015, he submitted an offer to settle his balance for 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2010, but it was rejected. He continued to make monthly installments of roughly $38,000 from 2017 until he defaulted in 2019.

Tucker was paid $3 million, $20 million and $25 million, respectively, to star in Rush Hour and its two sequels, THR has reported.

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