Does anyone here have any data on the fluctuating tips goal amounts over the past few years? Wasn’t it like $50 per stream before COVID?
A consistent tip goal did not exist prior to the vest streak.
Phil stated that a 'tips goal without a clear purpose' was 'disingenuous' and he would not do it after his audience suggested it would be a good idea to have one so that they understood how much support he needed to pay his bills. The reality is likely that Phil initially wasn't sure he could get away with asking for $10k up front or something (and he was probably right - his audience was a little less retarded at the time).
He then had one periodically for various goals, like the
tax payment to save the house money to move Kat in. They gradually became more common, and would sometimes be $100/stream for a week so that he could hit a particular larger goal over time.
Then the vest streak hit and it sat at $100. That was at the start of Covid in early 2020. It remained at $100 until he was departnered from Twitch in early 2021, at which point he set it to $200 to compensate for the lost income. He then dropped it back to $100/$150 for a month, then moved it back to $200 the next month, and then finally settled on $150 "until he has the same level of support on YT" as he has on Twitch. That's where we are currently and holding.
EDIT: With regards to the filing of the forms, I would not consider this 'planning' as the general concept is just being discussed. It's a long shot though. We're really not sure that he is claiming anything inappropriate on his taxes, so it may yield nothing even if he was audited. The bankruptcy was certainly dirty, but as others have pointed out, his taxes may not be. The real issue that Piece's stream highlighted was that he's grossly incompetent or lying his ass off about needed 3 nights to 'organize his taxes', and he's begging for extra money on the day stream to give himself time off. Further, that Phil is handling his tax payments with absolute stupidity, and the cost of the game he is playing with the IRS will also be dropped on his audience.