A lawyer for entertainer Willie Nelson says the Texas singer is close to completing the payoff of his $9 million debt to the Internal Revenue Service.
Nelson owes about $100,000 after paying out more than $8 million since early 1993, some of it proceeds from his album "Who'll Buy My Memories: The IRS Tapes," New York tax lawyer Larry Goldfein said.The IRS said in 1990 that Nelson owed about $17 million, stemming from heavy tax shelter investments dating back to 1980 that the agency disallowed. Goldfein said he negotiated that figure down to $9 million in February 1993.
At that time, about $3.6 million had already been paid through the seizure of Nelson's property and bank accounts. Some of the remaining $5.4 million came from sales of the album.
Nelson blamed his financial troubles on bad advice from accountants.