Travolta and the Taxman

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

John Travolta, who earns some $20 million per picture, has agreed to pay $607,400 in back taxes to end an Internal Revenue Service dispute dating back more than five years, according to court records obtained by the Los Angeles Times. Under terms of his settlement, says the paper, the star, 46, will pay more than half the $1.1 million in back taxes and penalties sought by the IRS for the years 1993 through 1995 (about the time his career was being put back in gear thanks to "Pulp Fiction"). Travolta, according to records, has agreed only to pay back taxes, not any penalties. These amount to $150,547 for 1993, $248,096 for 1994 and $208,757 for 1995. Neither IRS officials nor Travolta's tax lawyer, James M.A. Murphy, would comment to the Times.