Watch what you say and who you say it to. Even if you're joking, you never know when a friend or neighbor will decide to rat on you. Talking with the press about personal or business information or making a public statement that doesn't match the information you provide to the IRS can also get you in trouble.
If a newspaper publishes a profile of your business in which you gloat about surging profits but you then post big losses on your tax returns, the IRS may start digging into your file.
Celebrities have to be extra cautious. The New York State Department of Taxation went after baseball player Derek Jeter for state income tax, citing public statements he made "professing his love for New York" as part of its argument, according to legal documents from the state agency. That gave the agency enough of a reason to allege the baseball star was a resident of New York (not Florida, as he claimed), said Lieberman.
"Be careful what you say, if even an athlete who says his heart is in New York can all of a sudden get a New York State tax audit," said Lieberman.
