After a 2007 Supreme Court ruling claimed that greenhouse gases emitted by flatulence or belching amounted to air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) now plans to impose extra fees on cattle farmers.

According to EPA’s proposal, farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 heads of cattle or 200 hogs would have to pay an annual fee of $175 per cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 per hog to offset air pollution from the animals’ various bodily functions. On average, it would cost owners of a medium-sized cattle ranch $40,000 in extra fees.

Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks claims the move is “one of the most ridiculous things the federal government has tried to do,” and that the fees would likely bankrupt a majority of ranch and farm owners.

EPA claims the fee would cover the cost of a permit for approved livestock operations, and that it would force farmers to switch to healthier crops. The agency’s not alone in its fight, either. A spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claimed the move would make “perfect sense if they’re looking for ways to cut down on meat consumption and recoup environmental losses.”

After the Iranian government planned to implement a new national sales tax, businesses country-wide shut their doors for two days. The new tax would require merchants to pay the government 3% of their gross sales receipts.

In turn, that would lead to price increases passed on to consumers to make up the losses.

Even though the protest paid off and the government temporarily backed down from the new tax, it’s only a matter of time until another sales tax measure is introduced. They’re all part of President Ahmadinejad’s plan to revamp Iran’s banking system and tax code, which are considered antiquated.

As pink slips become more common, so is the urge to steal corporate secrets on the way out. According to the Cyber-Ark Software survey, “The Global Recession and its Effects on Work Ethics,” a full 71% of polled office workers said they’d definitely steal corporate data if faced with immediate firing.

In fact, 58% of those polled in the U.S. have already downloaded sensitive data — whether it’s to trade for a new job at a competing organization or just out of spite.

The survey says customer and contact databases, product information, company plans, proposals, and company passwords are the most plundered material. While USB memory sticks are the smallest, cheapest and least traceable way to download the data, respondents said they’d use encrypted storage Web sites, DVDs, smart phones and even iPods to copy sensitive materials.

Frank Hughes, owner of the Olympic Scaffolding Co., in Bootle, England, was confused when a council official came into his small office and demanded to inspect his “industrial waste.”

As part of a nationwide law, British companies that produce any industrial waste must now have a proper license displayed at all times. But Hughes office, usually occupied by himself and his wife, had no such waste to declare.

Hughes claimed the only trash the small office produced were used tea bags and sandwich cling wrap. A state inspector said those items qualified as industrial waste and wrote a $500 ticket for the violation. When Hughes mentioned that he took the trash home with him every night to dispose of it, the official said he’d need to save the waste up for a week and then pay a licensed waste collector to remove the rubbish.

IRS might not be masters of high-flying athleticism, but that’s not stopping a lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from happening. The federal suit is claiming the Stamford, CT, company has misclassified its performers and independent contractors (ICs) for several years, if not longer.

Brought forth by former wrestlers Scott “Raven” Levy, “Above Average” Michael Sanders, and Christopher “Kanyon” Kluscartis, the suit is seeking class-action status, consisting of any performer who was under a WWE contract between 2002 and 2008. These three, along with all other wrestlers, were classified as ICs and denied basic benefits like health care (might have been useful, considering the job requirements), paid sick time and vacation.

As a result, the WWE also failed to withhold federal employment taxes, Social Security and Medicare from paychecks — the tax implications are why the case was bumped up to federal court.

IRS has guidance in place regarding the classification of workers as either ICs or employees, a major factor of which is how much control an employer has over its workers.

In this case, WWE has a solid level of control — the wrestlers’ physical training requirements, haircuts, costumes and job location are all determined by the company. The performers are also told the specific dialogue and “story lines” to follow while on the job.

WWE has a few arguments on its side: All wrestlers must sign contracts acknowledging their status as independent contractors, and the lesser-known performers are responsible for their own travel arrangements and expenses.

Who will win this legal brawl? Tune in to Saturday night’s “Compliance Smackdown!” to see the events unfold.

A Pennsylvania-based construction company was in the practice of contracting a cleaning and maintenance service to clean sites while they were being worked on. Even though cleaning services are usually considered a taxable service, the construction company believed the cleaning was an integral part of the construction process and should be considered tax-exempt.

After sending an inquiry to the state DOR, the ruling found that all cleaning services were tax-exempt, except for the final cleaning that took place at the end of a project. Since the cleaning service removed debris and other materials which helped the work site meet safety requirements, it was needed to keep the project going.

However, once the final cleaning took place, it was no longer a part of the construction process. Although it was still needed to obtain a certificate of occupancy for a building or house, those services — dusting, waxing, cleaning, etc. — met the definition of taxable cleaning services.

Cite: Letter Ruling, No. SUT-08-010, June 16, 2008.

Editor’s note: Regs vary widely from state to state. If you have a specific sales and use tax question, consult your state’s DOR for more information.

A 21-year-old Swedish musician recently felt the sting of import taxes. As a part of his rocker lifestyle, he’s claiming he should be allowed to import 12 gallons of liquor, 16 gallons of wine and 300 beers into Sweden without having to pay the hefty import taxes.

According to the rocker, he drinks “a great deal more than the average Swede.”

“I’m a singer in a rock band and whiskey is a big part of it,” said the musician in front of an administrative court hearing.

However, the hearing denied his exemption — under liquor import rules, any alcohol brought in for “individual consumption” must be taxed.

A recent press release from Connecticut’s Department of Revenue says the state’s not going to take Sunday afternoon activities lightly. Any vendors who sell at a flea market, trade show, craft show, antique market or fair in the state must obtain a sales and use tax permit from DOR.

What if a vendor only wants to sell on one day? No exceptions, claims the state. An individual, business or corporation needs to have the permit on hand before a sale is made, and it needs to be prominently displayed at the vendor’s table or booth.

In case you’re thinking the state’s blowing smoke, failure to obtain a tax permit will result in a $500, three months in prison, or both.

Patrons of the Antiques Roadshow — now’s the time to panic.

“The check’s in the mail” just won’t cut it for one Milwaukee-area man — to avoid paying restaurant bills, cab fares and the like, he’d fake a heart attack.

For the most part, the practice was working fine for the man. If he needed a free lift to the mall, he’d hop into a cab and clutch his chest when he arrived. Usually, the driver would leave in a hurry and unpaid.

But things went differently at his last attempt. After running up a $23 bill for a steak dinner, he once again pretended to have a heart attack. But the restaurant contacted the local fire department, who then took the man to a hospital. Once there, the man’s doctor recognized him and informed firefighters that he’d been pulling the same stunt — and ending up with a free ride to the hospital — for several weeks.

The man was charged with defrauding the restaurant as a habitual criminal and faces both a $10,000 fine and up to nine months in prison. The good news: He’ll get all the free meals he can eat if he ends up in the joint — no faked medical emergencies required.

Heinrich Kieber, technician for LGT, a country-owned bank in Liechtenstein, isn’t going to be on many CEOs Christmas card lists this year. That’s because the disgruntled worker illegally downloaded and sold information from the bank’s systems — and IRS, along with tax authorities worldwide, couldn’t be happier.

Three CDs worth of data reveal that hundreds of American tax cheats, including many prominent CEOs, had money stored away in secret accounts at the bank.

For these cheaters, the cat’s out of the bag in a big way — Kieber reportedly sold the info to tax authorities in 12 countries, including the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy.

U.S. laws allow whistleblowers to collect up to 30% of taxes recovered with the help of their supplied information, but it hasn’t been made clear exactly why Kieber decided to steal and sell the data.

Since Liechtenstein currently brands him as a thief for violating the country’s bank secrecy laws — not to mention the hundreds of cheats who are coming under fire from IRS — Kieber is in hiding, but will testify to the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations via video-conference.