Dancehall superstar Beenie Man has won his multi-million dollar tax case against the government. Beenie Man whose real name is Moses Davis was freed of tax evasion charges Tuesday after senior magistrate Owen Parkin upheld no case submissions by the artiste's attorney.
Attorney Roderick Gordon found a gaping hole in the government's case during his submissions and successfully highlighted the flaws. He argued that the Notice of Assessment which claimed that the DJ owed the government more than 40 million dollars in outstanding income taxes was improperly drafted.
The court was told that the Notice as stipulated under section 75 of the Income Tax Act failed to inform the artiste of his basic rights. Beenie Man was not informed that he had the right to object to the assessment and to seek audience with the Commissioner of Taxes to challenge the amount.
The Notice served only informed the DJ that he owed the 40 million dollars and that he was required to pay the outstanding sum. He was also not informed that he had 30 days within which to reply to the notice of assessment.
After hearing the submissions, Mr. Parkin agreed that Beenie man wasn't properly informed of his rights and ordered his release.
Tuesday's ruling ended months of anxiety for Beenie man who was faced with a $47 million tax bill. Revenue officials hauled him before the Tax Court claiming that for several years he failed to pay over taxes to the government.
But the artiste insisted that his former management company, Shocking Vibes, was responsible for paying his taxes.