[url]http://news.excite.com/odd/article/id/261483|oddlyenough|08-22-2002::10:25|reuters.html[/url]

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian court has given a convicted heroin dealer the all-clear to write off $118,800 in stolen drug money from his tax bill.
The Federal Court ruled that as jailed felon Francesco Dominico La Rosa had earned his taxable income through selling drugs, he was likewise entitled to deduct from his taxes expenses incurred as part of his criminal endeavours.

Perth resident La Rosa was jailed for 12 years in 1996 for importing and selling heroin.

As soon as he was behind bars, Australia's meticulous tax authorities pounced and presented him with a $243,000 tax bill based on what court proceedings had revealed about his estimated illicit income.

La Rosa fired back with a claim to deduct the $119,000 he said he had buried in the garden of his daughter's home and which he intended to use to buy more drugs. He said the money had been stolen by other criminals when he went to make a deal.

He had already won an earlier court case but the Australian Taxation Office appealed.

Federal Court Justice Robert Nicholson rejected the appeal on Wednesday, according to court documents.

"The findings of the tribunal are that the occasion of the loss occurred during an intended drug purchase and was directly connected with the carrying on of the taxpayer's illicit drug dealing business," Nicholson said in his ruling.

"For these reasons I do not consider that this ground of appeal as pressed can succeed."

Obviously the judge was a customer of this guy. Had to be. How else can a decision like this be made? He's GOT TO have been stoned out of his mind!

Not really.  If you think about it, the ruling makes perfect sense.  The tax authorities (in the U.S. and Australia) claim that they don't care how you derived your income, you must pay tax on it.  La Rosa simply said that if that is the case, his income was reduced because of a capital loss (the stolen money), and therefore he should be able to deduct that loss from his taxable income (just as any business would.)

On an unrelated note, I believe that we have met before Zaphod.  Of course you only had the one head and two arms and you called yourself Phil.

You'll have to remind me. I have a terrible head for species... [;)]

I think I saw him at a party once too.

He was dancing with this girl I sort of fancied, Tricia McMillan or McMillian something like that...

'course that was Somebody Else's Problem

Correct.

Here's a true story ,you might not believe.
There is WWF wrestler from here in jersey,He picked up a hooker,he didn't pay her and she had him arrested for rape ,the charges were dropped and in their place a complaint was filed for theft of services,no shit.