IRS Hunts Down "Tax Defiers"

New York Times:

If you think paying taxes is unfair, illegal or unconstitutional, then watch out -- the Justice Department is after you.

Just as the Internal Revenue Service is getting into its perennial tax-season tough talk, Justice Department officials weighed in Tuesday with a vow to ramp up efforts against "tax defiers."

A tax defier is not a wealthy individual who buys a sophisticated tax shelter in a fraudulent effort to shield legitimate income from taxes. Nor is a defier a taxpayer who has a difference of opinion with the I.R.S. over deductions, or one who challenges specific tax policies enacted by Congress.

A tax defier, according to a Justice Department statement, is someone who "seeks to deny and defy the fundamental validity of the tax laws."

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[MetalCanuck]

Income taxes are illegal and illegitimate. The so called 16th amendment wasn't really passed.

[gretchenart]

As long as the tax system is on the books as "voluntary", there are those who will defy. So they should just make it an officially "involuntary" system, rather than the defacto involuntary system it has become. What I would be interested in knowing is:
1. What percentage of corporate "defiers" who are essentially allowed to move all their income offshore and, in fact, encouraged to do so--are audited and prosecuted compared to the percentage of relatively low income tax avoiders who are just individual penny stock value targets by comparison. My guess would be close to 0% on the corporate side!
2. If the IRS has recouped $600 million mostly from individual defiers as they are called, how many billions did they decline to recoup by not going after corporations or wealthy investors paying zero or minimal taxes?
3. Of those tax defiers who fought and won jury settlements after the government could not produce the actual tax law that justifies the taxing of wages and that contradicts the "voluntary" tax status of the originally defined system, what is the total dollar amount saved by those defiers? (Then you could figure the NET amount actually recouped by the government.)

My understanding is that the tax system was designed not to tax wage earners, but to tax their employers as well as other self-employed people. But obviously, there are real consequences should anyone contradict the actual written law regarding "voluntary" payment of taxes!

[GreyReaver]

As a citizen of the U.S.A. and a member of humanity, I urge you to beseech your elected representatives and officials to fully investigate the American governments use of torture, the destruction of related evidence and the cover-up of said activities regardless of where they lead and to bring such individuals to justice by holding open hearings and preparing full and complete documentation. Our Republic is meant to be transparent and its officials answerable to the people.
Unfortunately to date, secrecy, cover-up, inaction, double-speak, destruction of evidence and now willful disregard of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution have been the only visible and measurable results. I do not approve of torture, period. It is an uncivilized, vile and despicable crime against humanity. I therefore will not stand idly by while my elected officials refuse to decide and act against an overreaching executive branch and the legislative and judicial branches that enable it. I refuse to be an accessory to crimes against humanity and I will not pay any taxes while the United States of America"s governmental institutions stand idly by and allow it to happen. Indecision is a decision. Inaction is an action. Since my elected officials have to this point refused to decide and act on these crimes against humanity, they compel me, a sovereign individual, citizen of this great republic and member of humanity to make decisions and take action in the form of civil disobedience.

[NelsonR]

Too bad more Americans refuse to pay taxes that Corporate powers and our elite avoid with loop holes instilled by your elected crooks. Nothing ever changes. Our upper crust are judged by different standards so the average citizen accept what is. Cronyism is alive and well in America.

[LivingStardust]

They know rebellion starts with tax rebellion. Samuel Adams anyone?

[deepintheheartoftejas]

Sam Adams? No thanks, I prefer Dogfish Head 90 minute.

[naugiedoggie]

HuffPost's Pick

Paying taxes is part of living in a society. You may not like it, but that is the way it is. Now, some people will tell you that if you don't like it, you can always leave. Yes, you can. You can go up into the wilderness in Idaho and eat roots and berries and poke salmon out of the rivers with a pointed stick.

Tax complainers fall into two categories. First, those who don't give a damn about anyone else and will take whatever society doesn't bolt down. Freeloaders of the worst sort ... they complain about not being allowed to have all the benefits of organized society without having to pay for them.

Second, bad money managers. They dork up their personal finances, don't have enough money to pay their bills, and complain about taxes because they see that tax money as the ticket to paying the bills they should not have run up in the first place. In fact, they got into that position not because they didn't have enough money, but because they failed to live within their means. If they paid NO taxes, they'd just up the spending level until all that was gone.

A pox on both. Live within your means, and pay what you owe. Life is better that way, for all of us. "Happiness is not a destination, but a daily way of travel."

Thanks.

mp

[NelsonR]

I notice you fail to acknowledge the inequities within the tax system. How quaint. So we all should pay without question when the rich and Corporate powers that are, are immune. My thoughts, regardless of your supposed Huff's pick you are truly one sided. I guess we are to grit our teeth, accept what is and go about our daily lives without question. Screw you and the other upper crust who rule over us with an elitist attitude. Ever hear, what's good for the goose is good for the gander? Rid ourselves of an elitist ruling class and I will change my own opinion. Now I am against bailouts for both the financial institutions and the ignorant borrower but why do the financial institutions always have the best of both worlds in our society? Remember the bank bail outs of the 90s, that should prove my point. Again, screw you.

[LivingStardust]

I was going to call you out as the fascist tool you are, but Nelson beat me too it.

[marinade]

When taxes are squandered, (stolen, really, think MIC) and when the "organized society" you mention isn't working so well, it almost seems that the country would be better off if the government didn't have the money to waste..

Our leaders take this flow of money for granted. They should be a little more careful controlling how it is spent.

[Rule Of Law]

Every year we have tax day, and every year This Story is printed. So, every year more Americans are frightened into paying their taxes. The Bill was never ratified by all fifty states, which is required by the Constitution in order to amend it.

But, of course, the Constitution also guarantees us the rights of Habeus Corpus, a fair and speedy public trial, and protection from illegal search and seizure: Bush has unilaterally declared all of those things illegal with the passage of the Military Commissions and Patriot Acts! Declared. Like a King. All gone now.

You want to argue Obama vs Hillary on these blogs until every one is sick to death of it, and yet your right to free speech in public was just restricted by Bush to so-called "Free Speech Zones." He didn't want his sensitive eyes to be offended by the People exercising their right to free speech as he drove through neighborhoods on his way to give speeches to his "Base," the "Haves and Have Mores!" Remember them? So, he had that right declared illegal, too.

And everyone of those acts, including the Income Tax, and the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank, are UNCONSTITUTIONAL, and nobody can override that document, except The People.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

"The Bill was never ratified by all fifty states, which is required by the Constitution in order to amend it."

You may have missed the news, but back in 1789 the Articles of Confederation were ditched, and they adopted a new constitution, with its handy Article V, that requires only 3/4ths of states for ratification of an amendment.

[NelsonR]

Apparently a person that overseas the Huff blog disagrees with you and gave naguedoggie a high ranking. This is above your post. Proves one point, there will never be 100 percent agreement on anything dealing with humans. The rater thinks he can give a star rating and bloggers will say, "Wow" this guy has his act together, he is another Betray Us with supreme intelligence. I'm laughing at those who think they know more. Like Bush Morons abound.

[Dem4Change]

The IRS can start with KBR (Halliburton) they've successfully defrauded the US Treasury out of half a billion in unpaid taxes by setting up dummy corps overseas.

[Bobleblah1]

this is bullshit.
propaganda and an attempt to intimidate people.
The IRS would be wise to keep their mouths shut about this.
Every time they bring a case against a tax protester, more and more people will find out that
the income tax is illegal. It is not an apportioned tax, making it unconstitutional.
There is not a single law that requires it to be paid.

You know what they say about overplaying your hand.
These IRS folks better shut the F**ck up.
There are people dying for a chance to get this story out in a huge way.
With todays political climate, and the coming financial meltdown that has been overseen entirely by the FED and groups like the IRS, antagonizing people is not the game they should be playing.
You know what they say about people who believe their dirt will never do them in?

[Ramirez]

If you think that income tax is unconstitutional, then don't pay it.

[marinade]

Tax "defiers". Ha, ha, ha. Didn't want to say protesters, did they?

It would probably be more effective to decrease the corrupt spending on the war and the MIC.

[anney]

A recent Senate investigation found that more and more U.S. citizens are seeking advice on "opening offshore accounts, establishing sham trusts and shell corporations, hiding assets offshore, and making secret use of their offshore assets here at home." The Senate estimates that Americans now illegally evade between $40 billion and $70 billion in U.S. taxes each year through the use of these tax schemes.

=====

Will the IRS go after the Clintons and other "wealthies" who use "legal" tax loopholes and pay a lot less in percentage taxes than those who struggle to get by? That would bring a lot more money into the Treasury coffers than going after people who use taxes to make a political protest. No family that is within the COL poverty level should have to pay any taxes as long as the tax breaks go to the wealthy. If the wealthy paid taxes, America would be a lot more solvent.

Think it's a problem now? Wait until the bills come due on the Iraq War.

[richardmcnoggin]

Harry Reid said last week that we have a volintary tax system.

[Chavez08]

I can't believe non-corporate entities think they can skate on paying taxes!!...Silly serfs!

[LivingStardust]

(Read in the voice of Count Floyd). Ohhhhhh! Scary!

[JohnFromCensornati]

A tax defier is what wRong Paul's groupies wannabe.