04/14/2005: "Art Law / Taxes / And Moving to Ireland!"

Professor Harry S. Martin III (a *librarian* and professor of law at Harvard) has a seminar on art law with an interesting section on image rights. I particularly enjoyed the infamous Jeff Koons "blue puppies" law suit. (Jeff Koons... need I say more?).

Some of you may be relieved to hear that I've decided to pull an all nighter finishing up two years worth of art business and personal income taxes BUT THEN I'm taking them to a tax accountant first thing in the AM to make sure I didn't muck things up too badly; now hopefully no one will need to come and spring me from an IRS holding cell.

I realized this afternoon that I probably have every book ever written about starting an art business or making money as an artist and I'm sure they have some additional tax advice I can use as I haven't been able to find out much of anything by searching in Google. I did learn that artists in Ireland don't have to pay taxes!

Now all I need is to marry Cillian Murphy, become an Irish citizen, move to Dublin and never look back!

Replies: 13 Comments

on Thursday, April 14th, greg said

Aha! good luck with that. I hear the US Federal Debtors Prison is actually in ...Alaska!
:cool: j/k

I heard Ireland is great in many ways ... and there are other Euro nations that have some great incentives for their artists also! Could you imagine in this country? *sigh*

Well, Cillian hangs out at this artist web forum
http://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=3023
where some mention has been made about this (your) site! You'd better at least lurk on over there, check it out, scroll down, and see if boyo is hangin' out :D There are some prof artists there who might answer some tax Qs you might have.

on Thursday, April 14th, Elise said

Well, if it's true the debtor's prison is here in Alaska, it would at least be convenient for me.

Thanks for the link though it seems a bit overwhelming to me over there...so many posters...eeks. I feel shy just like being in a crowded room. I suppose I could lurk (also what I prefer to do in real life) but I like my interactions mono a mono.

Which reminds me, no teasing me regarding my latest "fantasexual" relationship!
;)

on Friday, April 15th, Dio said

Your taxes are a nightmare - I just had an application for an ITIN returned me and I can't for the life of me figure out where I went wrong.

I'm deeply confused and thinking of just dumping the affiliate scheme I need it for in favour of a UK based solution. :crazy:

on Friday, April 15th, RR said

Ireland are great at offering incentives to their artists. I think the no tax rule includes all the arts including playrights and poets etc. Wish they would bring that across the water.

on Friday, April 15th, Elise said

I loved Ireland even before I found out they take care of their creative types. If I have to immigrate somewhere due to a supervolcanic erruption it will be second on my list (behind Spain).

on Friday, April 15th, holly said

I've been trying to buy Skellig Michael, off the coast of Ireland, for the cost of a bag of shiny marbles for years now. When I succeed, you may all come and live there in your own little artisty huts and create to your hearts' content, free of taxation. I'll stand out front and shoo away the tourists.

on Friday, April 15th, greg said

no no! tourists should buy our works, make us incredibly rich, and take us out for pints o' guin!! :D

on Friday, April 15th, Elise said

Oh, how could I have missed that!???

however, twas the Giant's Causeway that really blew my mind.

Sigh, now I'm getting the wander lustys again!

on Friday, April 15th, holly said

Better yet, we set up the gallery on nearby Little Skellig and keep the tourists there. We can have kegs of Guinness flown in. Now see here, Greg, if you're going to start picking at my regime before I even get it started, we're going to have to have a talk. :plain:

(Elise- add the cliffs of Moher to your list)

on Saturday, April 16th, subi said

you mean 'blew you away' ... as in off the cliffs? right? :O and remember how we 'found' the health clinic right when we needed it? and it was FREE! (do you remember my youth-hostel/pension condition?) :confused: oh and the people are so friendly!!!! :laugh: :

on Saturday, April 16th, Elise said

Ah, yes....blew us both away as I recall. That was intense, especially since we'd had all those 1/2 pints and Black Bush shots with the hip replacement crew.

Good times!!!

maybe I can find some of the pictures I took on that trip...

on Saturday, April 16th, Elise said

Oh, and holly...I think you might have something there with the Guinness/Gallery idea.

What position will I hold in your regime?

on Thursday, April 21st, Elise said

Arg, looks like Cillian is already married!

Ooops

I was only joking anyway...
:blush: