If you’re dreading April 15 due to a big tax bill- it could be worse. Facebook’s IPO made founder Mark Zuckerberg a billionaire — but left him with a tax bill likely to top $1 billion. Here’s the story from the CNN news feed.
Facebook’s stock market debut left founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a paper fortune currently valued at $13 billion — and a 2012 tax bill of around $1.1 billion.
Zuckerberg’s whopping tax hit stems from his move last May to increase his stake in Facebook. On the day of Facebook’s initial public offering, Zuckerberg exercised a stock option and purchased 60 million Facebook shares at a “strike price” of 6 cents each.
Even if those shares are never sold, the IRS treats them as ordinary income at the time the options are exercised. The rationale is that such options are a form of compensation, just like regular wages.
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David Conley
He is also a founding Board Member and Finance Director of the Fayette Pregnancy Resource Center and serves on the Board of the National Equal Rights Institute.
Latest posts by David Conley (see all)
- A Tax Court decision you’re going to hate:
Joint Returns Valid Despite Wife's Forged Signature
- September 5, 2018 - Tax Reform in a Picture Format:
10 Major areas of tax reform via our infographic
- August 31, 2018 - Hiring your child in your business:
It pays to keep it all in the family
- August 10, 2018
