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Updated: 6:58 PM Jun 23, 2005
Texas Dream Home Turns Into Nightmare
The winner of a $1.5 million Texas dream home is facing a nightmare of unpaid taxes.
Posted: 7:00 AM Jun 24, 2005 |
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Don Cruz won a $1.5 million dream home at the Reserve at Lake Tyler in this year’s Home & Garden Television sweepstakes.
Now he’s trying to figure out how to keep it.
Cruz says he can’t afford the $631,000 in federal taxes he owes on the residence, which are due next April.
He also owes about $32,000 in property taxes to Smith County and the school district.
He hoped to make some money by leasing parts of the home, but Tyler officials say regulations prohibit that.
The Lake Tyler Advisory Board refused to make an exception, and the Tyler City Council, which has the final say, followed suit.
Click Here For Reserve At Lake Tyler Web Site
Prizes and awards are taxable as ordinary income even if they're not liquid, said Martin Nissenbaum, author of the Ernst and Young Tax Guide and national director of personal income tax planning.
If winnings include a home worth $1 million or more, the winner will owe a minimum of $350,000, said Shawn Novak, a federal tax specialist at Boise State University.
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