Peace out, swag. The legendary Oscar and Golden Globe celebrity gift bags are being squashed under the heel of conscience. And the threat of having to pay taxes. And, apparently, Edward Norton.
Word is, Mr. Norton, feeling the bags were both “disgusting and shameful” voiced enough grievance that the IRS and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences worked out an agreement to send tax forms to all those who accepted the $100,000 swag bags at the 2006 ceremonies.
The million dollar quote? ““The gift baskets, worth amounts of money that a low-income family could live on for a year, [are given to] people who have so much already. It gets depressing. You sit there, going, ‘This is an embarrassment’.”
Naturally, the IRS had to weigh in with a quiptastic statement, “"Whether you’re popping the popcorn, sitting in the audience or starring on the big screen, you need to pay your taxes. There’s no red carpet loophole for the stars." While I agree, that statement could have been boiled down to “Everyone has to pay taxes.”
In the mean time, Mr. Norton has suggested giving said proceeds to a charity in the name of the winners. There goes my motivation to become a well-paid actor.