# Oprah Winfrey Gives Away A Car **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 15, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359 "2013-08-15T22:04:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/1 "2013-08-15T22:04:59Z")
[Oprah Winfrey Gives Away A Car During Her Appearance On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car-kimmel-video_n_3759442.html) Any chance this is to deflect any negative press regarding buying - or not - ridiculously expensive crap that no one needs? A lot of the comments I’ve read about her recent incident focus on her purchasing mega-pricey things now and in the past, and that she doesn’t really understand or care about the “little people” anymore. Me, I would never presume to tell someone they can’t buy what they want, even if I thought it was absurd. With \*\*\*my \*\*\*lottery money, I’m gonna go crazy. I just wonder if this was already set up, or if some PR flunky decided “Let’s make Oprah loveable again, fast.” Normally, these things take time to set up. I’ve run many fundraisers and auctions for charity, and I can tell you, it’s like pulling teeth to get a frigging massage coupon out of a salon, or a meal for two at Chili’s. Takes weeks, even months. Sometimes you gotta blow someone. :eek: But I’m not Oprah. Ring, Ring… “[Alan Mullaly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Mulally#Ford_Motor_Company)” “Alan, Oprah.” “Good morning, dear. How can I help you?” “I want to give away a car tomorrow in New York. I’ll need it ready by 3pm.” “No problem. I’ll have it dropped off in the morning.” “Thanks, you’re a doll.” CLICK. “We should have lunch next - hello? Hello?” So. Done deal, or fast misdirection? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/2 "2013-08-15T22:55:47Z")
Could be a PR thing. She is a business unto herself and needs to keep a certain image to maintain her personal stock value. Personally I don’t get a purse like that and the first thing that came to mind was the cost of a car. There is no justifiable value to the purse on any level. Better she buy something from an up and coming leather maker for a fraction of the money spent and she probably does that already. It’s human nature to look at and comment on how the wealthy spend their money. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/3 "2013-08-16T00:56:50Z")
You know, any one who wins one of those prizes would still be obligated to pay the taxes on it. Hmmm… I wonder how that audience member raised all that cash on the way home…? [_Cue Dream Sequence_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oRXrR8aLhEU&t=32) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/4 "2013-08-16T01:06:17Z")
Oprah give away cars during her show’s last season. I recall reading that many weren’t expecting the tax liability. The Big O and her show wouldn’t cough it up. > **[TaxProf Blog: Oprah Again Sticks Audience with Big Tax Bill](https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2005/01/oprah_recidivis.html)** > > Inveterate readers of this blog know that we ran several posts on the tax problems associated with Oprah Winfrey's giveaway of 276 new Pontiac G6 sedans to members of the audience at her premiere of the 2004-05 season (9/14, 9/21, 11/3, and 12/20).... It is a vicious circle. First the Feds want tax on the car. Lets say O pays it. Now you owe tax on that money. It’s a absurd circle of taxes and payments. ---
**Author:** ![Virgil\_Tibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Virgil\_Tibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Virgil_Tibbs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/5 "2013-08-16T07:39:58Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It is a vicious circle. First the Feds want tax on the car. Lets say O pays it. Now you owe tax on that money. It’s a absurd circle of taxes and payments. What? You have to pay tax on taxes? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/6 "2013-08-16T07:55:56Z")
Yes, if someone “paid your taxes for you”, it counts as income. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/7 "2013-08-16T22:54:23Z")
> [@Virgil\_Tibbs](#): > > What? You have to pay tax on taxes? No, but if someone gives you a brand new car ($12K minimum?) then it’s considered a gift of over $10K and you have to pay Gift/Windfall/Inheritance tax on it. If someone gives you a brand new car **and** the funds to pay the tax on it, the government considers it all one gift, the value and the tax payment definitely exceeding $10K at that point – and they tax you on the bundle :smack: Watch the classified ads for a week or two and you’ll see contest winners (particularly game-show contestants because they win a variety of things) selling off stuff to pay for the tax on the stuff they want to keep. —G! Just because you’re winnin’ Don’ mean you’re the lucky one …–Axl Rose (GNR) …Break Down …Use Your Illusion II ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/8 "2013-08-17T04:31:16Z")
Couldn’t Oprah buy the cars and then give them away. The cars suffer depreciation once they come off the lot. If that goes below 10 grand, then, no taxes. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/9 "2013-08-17T05:03:30Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > No, but if someone gives you a brand new car ($12K minimum?) then it’s considered a gift of over $10K and you have to pay Gift/Windfall/Inheritance tax on it. No, no, no. [Commissioner v. Duberstein, 363 U.S. 278 (1960)](http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/363/278/case.html) > [@](#): > > A gift in the statutory sense… proceeds from a “detached and disinterested generosity,” Commissioner v. LoBue, 351 U. S. 243, 351 U. S. 246; “out of affection, respect, admiration, charity or like impulses.” Robertson v. United States, supra, at 343 U. S. 714. And, in this regard, the most critical consideration, as the Court was agreed in the leading case here, is the transferor’s “intention.” Oprah’s cars were not given in a spirit of detached and disinterested generosity. They were given in the course of her business (a television show) for the purpose of promoting her business. As such, they were not “gifts” for tax purposes. If they had been gifts, the recipient would not be responsible for paying gift taxes. If any gift taxes were due, it would be the donor’s responsibility to pay them. (However, the IRS in some circumstances can attempt to reclaim the gifts if the donor has made a fraudulent transfer and is unable to pay the tax.) The tax code makes all income received from any source taxable, unless specifically excluded. There is no specific exclusion for cars received from a daytime talk show. Hence they are taxable income to the recipients. Theoretically, even if the show guests even received $1 from Oprah, that would be taxable. As a practical matter, no one would bother. In any case, Oprah’s production company doesn’t have to issue a 1099 unless the value exceeds $600 and most people will not report income if they don’t get a 1099 although they should. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2013, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oprah-winfrey-gives-away-a-car/666359/10 "2013-08-17T07:11:01Z")
She could pay the audience to test drive her fleet of cars for the purposes of research toward a stock purchase.