Lauryn Hill Says She Didn't Pay Taxes Because She Withdrew From Society

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Earlier this week, former Fugees singer and solo artist Lauryn Hill was charged with not paying her taxes for three years. The musician reportedly earned more than a million and a half dollars during that time period and didn’t fork over any to the IRS, leaving Uncle Sam pissed off and wanting his money.

Yesterday, Hill decided to take to her tumblr to explain the matter. In more than ten rambling paragraphs, her essay lashes out at the music industry, manipulators and pop culture cannibals who distorted her vision, forcing her to retreat and reject the business for the safety and comfort of her family. She never denies not paying her taxes, but she does insinuate she was justified in her actions. You can take a look at an excerpt below…

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.

We’ll likely never know the specific people and specific situations that made Hill decide to escape from the public eye, but hopefully, after this mess is sorted out, she can get back to doing what she does best. She’s too talented not to be churning out music regularly, and besides, it will be far easier to her to set her debt straight if she’s performing and writing new material.

We’ll keep you updated if Hill and the IRS come to some sort of agreement in the near future.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.