The Fugees singer defends herself, saying that she dutifully filed her taxes until it was necessary for her and her family to live 'underground' in order to stay away from 'danger.'
- Jun 9, 2012
AceShowbiz - Lauryn Hill broke her silence on her tax woes. She was charged with three counts of misdemeanor failure to file taxes for the years of 2005-2007. In her lengthy statement, she explained that those years were the time when she "removed herself and her family from society, in order to keep them safe, healthy, and free from danger."
The 37-year-old singer of The Fugees lived "underground" in order to "build a community of people, like-minded in their desire for freedom and the right to pursue their goals and lives without being manipulated and controlled by a media protected military industrial complex with a completely different agenda."
She continued, "Having put the lives and needs of other people before my own for multiple years, and having made hundreds of millions of dollars for certain institutions, under complex and sometimes severe circumstances, I began to require growth and more equitable treatment, but was met with resistance."
What she saw was "the suppressive force with which the system attempts to maintain its control over a given paradigm." She claimed, "I've seen people promote addiction, use sabotage, black listing, media bullying and any other coercion technique they could, to prevent artists from knowing their true value, or exercising their full power."
"I did not deliberately abandon my fans, nor did I deliberately abandon any responsibilities, but I did however put my safety, health and freedom and the freedom, safety and health of my family first over all other material concerns! I also embraced my right to resist a system intentionally opposing my right to whole and integral survival."
"I conveyed all of this when questioned as to why I did not file taxes during this time period. Obviously, the danger I faced was not accepted as reasonable grounds for deferring my tax payments, as authorities, who despite being told all of this, still chose to pursue action against me, as opposed to finding an alternative solution."
"My intention has always been to get this situation rectified. When I was working consistently without being affected by the interferences mentioned above, I filed and paid my taxes. This only stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of myself and my family."
