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by toomanybeersies 1830 days ago
I'm pretty sure bribes specifically aren't tax deductible: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p535#en_US_2020_publink1000...
1 comments

Is a ransomware payment a bribe? The linked page doesn't really say what constitutes a "bribe". The next paragraph says that it only covers illegal activities, which AFAIK isn't the case for ransomware groups unless they're a designated terrorist organization or something.
As far as I'm aware, ransomware payments wouldn't be considered a bribe. They're more similar to an expense incurred due to `kidnapping for ransom`, which is deductible.

So in summary:

- Kidnapping for ransom expenses are deductible

- Bribes are not deductible

- Ransomware payments may be deductible