Jim Hightower
Thursday, December 11, 2003
"WRITING TELEVISION DRAMA"

Calling law and order! I don't mean the America ideal of justice – in this case, I'd settle for the "Law and Order" television show.

I'm talking about a corporate story that would've made great television news, but the media missed it. Perhaps they were too busy covering George W posing with the Queen of England on this same day, to be able to cover a story about the theft of billions of dollars from us taxpayers.

So why not call on fiction to give us the news? After all, Mark Twain observed that "The difference between fact and fiction is that fiction has to be believable." This factual story of finagling seems unbelievable, but the fictitious "Law and Order" show would not have to stretch to dramatize it, for Senator Carl Levin provided all the drama a producer could want.

KPMG, the accounting giant, was caught illegally designing and selling tax shelters whose sole purpose was to allow the wealthiest Americans to escape paying their taxes to Uncle Sam. In just four years, these rich folks dodged $1.4 billion in taxes they owed – and KPMG collected $124 million from them in tax-avoidance fees.

In November, KPMG was grilled by Senator Levin. In an investigative hearing, a supervising partner of KPMG's tax scam ducked and dodged, claiming he knew nothing. But Levin had internal e-mails, including one written by this guy saying that the scams were "designed" to dodge taxes. The guy shucked and jived, trying to blame subordinates, while also claiming that these were legitimate investments that only coincidentally allowed tax avoidance.

But Levin leaned in, asking: "Did you write 'designed,' yes or no?" The guy's voice grew tighter, Levin pressed harder, the senate hearing room grew silent, and KPMG's man finally whined: "I don't know how to change my answer."

Then, in a made-for-TV moment, Levin dryly said: "Try an honest answer."

Now that would've been great TV.