It is tax day here in America. The day the IRS quotes Ray Liotta’s character from “GoodFellas” and says “Fuck you. Pay me.” And we do, big time. Over 2 trillion dollars was collected by the federal government in 2007 alone. Meanwhile, the individual income tax has been the largest single source of federal revenue since 1950, averaging just over 8 percent of our GDP. Which as a numeric value seems small but is not when compared to the measly revenue collected from corporate income tax, which fell from between 5 and 6 percent of GDP in the early 1950s to 2.7 percent of GDP in 2007. And according to The Tax Policy Center, four out of every five federal dollars spent are supplied by the individual income tax and payroll tax.
But does it have to be like this? Better yet, were we meant to be taxed on our individual incomes at all? A rising voice of ex-IRS employees in conjunction with other online media sources are protesting the individual income tax and some go as far as calling the tax a scam. The mainstream media is in the process of demonizing these protesters participating in “Tax Day Tea Parties” by calling them them “extremists,” and even worse Rush Limbaugh supporters. Regardless of your political orientation, having a better understanding of our tax system does not hurt. To learn you must think critically, which means hearing every side of an argument. We all know the reasons to pay taxes (staying out of jail, property seizures, general fear of the IRS, to fund our “national security”) but how are these tax protesters justifying their stance? We have compiled some of the most vocal and popular opponents of the Individual Income Tax so you can judge their arguments for yourself.
Joseph Banister is an ex-IRS agent and current CPA who contends income tax is both fraudulent and unconstitutional. In this video Banister is joined on CNBC with Congressman Ron Paul of Texas who has publicly stated he would abolish the IRS if ever elected president. They argue that the 16th Amendment (giving Congress the power to tax) was never properly ratified, thereby making it null and void.
Since 1999, GiveMeLiberty.org has conducted “a multi-year research effort to investigate well documented claims that the income tax system is a legal fraud upon the people and enforced without any constitutional authority.” They have included this clip of New York Times reporter David Cay Johnston asking IRS Commissioner Mark Everson about taxes on their website.
“Theft By Deception, Deciphering The Federal Income Tax” by Larken Rose claims, “hidden in a previously nearly universally misunderstood (therefore misapplied) section of the law known as Subchapter N, Section 861 was the truth that the income tax is NOT a direct tax on incomes but is an indirect tax imposed only on those individuals engaged in certain types of international and possessions commerce.”
Dave Champion is an independent businessman, paralegal and a non-taxpayer. Champion is a former US Army Airborne Ranger with a law enforcement background who says he has spent 14,000 hours researching federal tax code. His website OriginalIntent.org reveals all his research and tips on becoming a non taxpayer yourself, which Champion claims you can become legally.
Aaron Russo was a Hollywood producer for films like Eddie Murphy’s “Trading Places” and later ran for Governor of Nevada. His 2006 film “America: From Freedom to Fascism” has garnered a cult following on the net. A review by the New York Times stated that “examination of the assertions in Mr. Russo’s documentary, which purports to expose ‘two frauds’ perpetrated by the federal government, taxing wages and creating the Federal Reserve to coin money, shows that they too collapse under the weight of fact.” Watch it and decide for yourself.
posted by: Harold Johns III
Tags: communication, culture, politics, taxes
November 22nd, 2009 at 9:51 pm
I’ve been engaged in taxations for longer then I care to admit, both on the personal side (all my employed life!!) and from a legal stand since satisfying the bar and pursuing tax law. I’ve provided a lot of advice and righted a lot of wrongs, and I must say that what you’ve posted makes impeccable sense. Please carry on the good work – the more people know the better they’ll be outfitted to comprehend with the tax man, and that’s what it’s all about.