Fingers owes state more than $1.4 million in income taxes
(Published Thursday, January 4, 2007 10:24:23 AM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
BY Carrie Antlfinger Associated Press
MILWAUKEE - Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers is the biggest income tax delinquent in Wisconsin, owing the state more than $1.4 million in taxes.
The state Department of Revenue lists Roland G. Fingers as No. 7 on its list of Top 100 delinquent taxpayers. Among those owing only income taxes, Fingers tops the list.
He owes the state $1,433,609 in back taxes, interest, penalties, fees and costs.
Fingers, known for his handlebar mustache, would not do an interview Wednesday, said his agent, John Boggs.
But Boggs said Fingers' tax attorneys were working on the case, which he said came from Fingers' time as a closer for the Milwaukee Brewers. That was in 1981-82 and 1984-85. Boggs wouldn't say exactly when the taxes were due.
"This was basically a shock to him," he said.
He also would not comment on whether Fingers was going to pay the back taxes or dispute the delinquency, but said, "He feels very confident about where he stands."
Wisconsin Revenue Department spokeswoman Meredith Helgerson said the quarterly Top 100 list was started in January 2006 and Fingers was added in July. To get the back taxes, the state can garnish wages, issue levies against bank accounts, intercept tax refunds and use a collection agency. She couldn't say whether any action had been taken against Fingers.
But collecting delinquent taxes is a priority for the state, Helgerson said.
"It's extremely unfair to all of us that these folks are going without paying their taxes," she said.
There generally is no statute of limitations for tax delinquencies, although there are circumstances where the state can write off the debt or it may expire, Helgerson said. There are debts that go back more than 11 years, she said, but couldn't immediately say how much longer.
In his 17-year major league career, mostly as a reliever, Fingers helped the Oakland A's win three consecutive World Series from 1972-74. He was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
He is eighth in career saves with 341.
According to public records, he and his wife bought his current Las Vegas home in 1999 for $391,000. As of 2005, the market value for the property was $809,303.
A Dec. 19 posting on Fingers' blog at www.rolliefingers sportsblog.com said he would be featured in a video showing a 12-year-old boy pointers on golf putting. It was for a company called Sure Putting and would be on YouTube.
