This might sound surprising but this was exactly what happened on the Oprah show this thanksgiving. The audience was jam packed and there were some 300 of them waiting for the show to commence. They did not still know of how lucky they were and what was in store for them. They each were gifted far, far more than a turkey to take home. Rather, the gifts that were handed out were way beyond their imagination.

Some of the lucky ones in the audience were given away a 2012 VW Beetle. This is one swanky and hell of a car that hasn’t even been launched in the market. Imagine being in possession of a car of this magnitude without having to pay a dime for it. But, wait did you say not having to pay a dime for it. Then, wait as the people who were so fascinated by this completely free gift will have to end up paying a huge amount of tax in the year 2012 when they file their tax returns.

The way that this goes is that the coming of this car into their lives might also mean that they are pushed into a far higher tax bracket than they are already at. This can be quite a pain and an unexpected one. This audience member would have certainly not expected to be in this kind of a predicament. What they could do is to sell off the 2012 VW Beetle and continue to drive whatever they have or buy another new car — they could sell it and buy one of the classic VW Beetles even!

I wish I was in that audience, I so would have sold it right away. :p