Former action movie star Wesley Snipes is the poster boy for tax cheats. He's so famous for trying to run rings around the IRS that you would expect other stars to learn from his example and make sure the bills are always paid. As is heavily evidenced from reading our list, nobody's learned a thing, even though Snipes was more harshly punished than perhaps anybody else.
Snipes is a guy who projects the image of a tough guy, and someone who isn't to be messed with. That's how he comes across in 'Demolition Man' and 'Blade,' and perhaps that's how he was hoping he'd come across to the IRS when they took him to court. Snipes hadn't just failed to pay his taxes, though - he'd knowingly supplied false information. That landed him with a three year stretch in prison, and an order to pay almost $18m in back taxes when he was released. His career has never picked up steam since his release, and so he'll likely never see that kind of money again.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.