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The National TEA party
Kitty Cat
Member #2,815
October 2002
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I remember seeing a video which also claimed there was no law saying private citizens had to pay income tax. The income tax was only supposed to be levied against businesses, and was started to help fund WW2. It even chronicled a case where a guy was acquitted of tax evasion because the judge refused to cite which law it was under to the jurors, and no one the video's creator interviewed could cite the law, either. They just kept giving the run-around and implying "well, everyone else does it, so you have to also".

Of course, then the video went off on a conspiracy theory about some banks trying to create and run a world government, so...

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Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
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Up here income tax was supposed to be temporary, but then so was the GST, and many other taxes. Doesn't mean its not a legal tax.

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Bob
Free Market Evangelist
September 2000
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Kitty Cat said:

The income tax was only supposed to be levied against businesses, and was started to help fund WW2.

The current income tax in the United States started in 1913, to fund the first World War. The top rate was 7% on incomes of $500,000 (~$20 million today).

Various other income taxes existed at the federal level before that, but were considered unconstitutional at the time. It took the ratification of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution to legalize it.

Steve said:

Oh yeah, those taxes are also paying for social security, infrastructure, education and more.

Not at the US Federal level. See Wikipedia. Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security are paid through separate taxes from what is normally referred to as "Income Tax".

In the US, infrastructure and education are largely paid through real-estate taxes and/or State sales taxes.

The income tax only brings in ~$1 trillion to US governments of various levels. Total government taxation and borrowing is around $6 trillion.

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Jonny Cook
Member #4,055
November 2003

Hehe, I was expecting this kind of reaction.

Sounds like the only martyrs here are the guys clients. No offense, but it would be safer to just claim aliens abducted you.

Well, I've heard/read otherwise. Not saying you're wrong, of course. I realize there are many contradicting theories regarding this matter and it's very hard to determine who's right, since there seem to be intelligent people arguing each point.

Quote:

EDIT: Oh yeah, those taxes are also paying for social security, infrastructure, education and more.

Well, I'm also of the school of thought that the government shouldn't even be responsible for all those things, as I would think most people are who believe that income tax is unconstitutional.

Really? I think you fail at conditional probabilities.

Well, if anything, I fail at reading comprehension, as it was something I read, not something I came up with myself.

I call bullshit on that one. There are laws, thats how you get to go to jail for being really stupid about taxes. And get your wages garnisheed for being half stupid. Yes, they can take the money you owe from you before you even get it. Think about that one for a moment. Let it sink in.

Just because they haven't let you know they know you aren't paying, doesn't mean they won't follow up later. They can do it at any time, and will. Could be 10 years from now when you owe tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes. What will you do then when they audit you and ask for all that money? (in fact its much more likely to happen when you owe a lot more, its more worth their time that way, the bigger the offender, the more they have to prove).

Well, once again, you can call BS on me, but this a topic that many smart people have argued, and I from what I've read, it still seems that no one can point out any law which explicitly states that you have to pay income taxes. I can't argue it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have an argument, and I believe that it does.

Oh I'm fully aware that there is still time for them to come around. But I've looked at some statistics and, based on my understandings, it seems highly unlikely that they will. And if I start making enough money where it might actually matter, then who knows, maybe I'll have a change of heart and start paying.

You are incredibly ignorant to believe anybody who claims that you do not have to pay income tax. Laughably ignorant.

You can to jail for it, among other things. How is that not proof enough? Gangster Al Capone went to prison for ... income tax invasion!

You can sincerely believe in your heart that the IRS has no right to collect taxes, but that won't hold up in any court. And that's ultimately where your fate lies; not in hands of some conspiracy theorist.

I don't claim to understand income tax law, as I know it is very complicated. So yes, I know that I am very ignorant on the matter. You can say I'm incorrect and very ignorant, fine, and I won't have any thing to come back with. However, I am not the only person in the world who believes this. There are many intelligent people who are making the same claim, and to call them equally ignorant would be ridiculous.

Yes, people have gone to jail for not filing income taxes. I'm not going to pretend to understand the law surrounding the reasons why people go to jail. All I know is what people have told me and what I've read. And I also know (well, I presume) that many people have gone to jail for unjust reasons, which I think may have been the case for many people who have gone to jail for income taxes. However I really can't know because I don't know the details of the situations, and I'm not in a position to make that kind of judgment anyway.

BAF said:

I'm not mad, I was just questioning his reasoning. As I said, I'm a full time student and I don't earn much, therefore I claim exempt for taxes, and if I didn't it would all be refunded to me anyhow.

Well, your really just questioning my judgment, as this isn't my own reasoning.

Kitty Cat said:

Of course, then the video went off on a conspiracy theory about some banks trying to create and run a world government, so...

Hehe, well, that's what my circle of political advisors (i.e., friends and such) actually believe (and so I have come to believe as well, for as much as that's worth).

I know my position in this argument seems very weak, but well, I guess I'm not out to change anybody's mind. And yes, I suppose I could be considered ignorant, but unless you're all knowing, ignorance is kind of relative. For example, somebody who truly believes income taxes are unconstitutional could call me ignorant if I didn't agree. I'm always going to be considered ignorant by at least a few people, and more of course if my views are considered radical by the general public. But that doesn't mean they are wrong.

I don't claim to know the truth regarding this topic, and I know that I don't know enough to make even a good judgment. But based on what I've been told, my judgment is telling me that the "truth" I have chosen is closer to the real truth.

I don't go around believing what everyone tells me, because if I did I would have folded the first time I my original post was contended. However, at the same time, I really only know what people have told me. Granted, I can draw my own conclusions, but those conclusions are also likely to be amalgamations of things that I have heard in the past. Recognizing that, all I can do is believe what seems to be the most correct to me at the moment and hope for the best. My stance on income tax is the result of that philosophy. And it will take more than ridicule to change my mind. However, since my opinion on the matter is of little importance to most of you, I don't think anyone will bother trying. Although I do enjoy talking about it, with what little knowledge I have.

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StevenVI
Member #562
July 2000
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Bob said:

The current income tax in the United States started in 1913, to fund the first World War.

Got a citation on that? Most agree that the first World War began in 1914. (I have a handful of history textbooks which say this, if you require that I cite where I am coming from as well.) That, and I believe that the US didn't enter the war until 1917.

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Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
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<quote>
Got a citation on that? Most agree that the first World War began in 1914.
<quote>

It was probably a backward compatible explanation

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

Erikster
Member #9,510
February 2008
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The United States attempted to remain neutral throughout WWI, but the Germans began to sink U.S., and otherwise neutral, ships (The most famous being the Lusitania). Worse, we caught a telegram from Germany that offered Mexico the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas if they attacked us if/when we attacked Germany >:(. Mexico declined, there was no real chance for them to win a war against the U.S., even though we share a border.

There's the United States Pre-WWI history for you, courtesy of AP U.S. History. ;D

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Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
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I still like the claim that tax evasion isn't illegal. People go to jail for it, and otherwise get in real trouble. You can't go to jail for something that isn't illegal.

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Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
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The Supreme Court ruled: A belief that the Federal income tax is unconstitutional is not a misunderstanding caused by the complexity of the tax law, and is not a defense to a charge of "willfulness", even if that belief is genuine and is held in good faith

What more do you need? You can argue as long as you want that income tax isn't Constitutional, but the Supreme Court is the end all when it comes to deciding if something is.

If the IRS came after you, would you?

  • Pay the huge fines, or

  • Challenge them in court.

If the answer is the latter, then please invite me to watch and laugh.

BAF
Member #2,981
December 2002
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Even if it is unconstitutional, I doubt you can afford to bring it all the way up to the supreme court. And if you could, you'd be rich enough to hire accountants to let you pay very little tax anyhow, thereby avoiding the extra cost and hassle. :P

Bob
Free Market Evangelist
September 2000
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Harry said:

Most agree that the first World War began in 1914

Actual hostilities started in Europe in 1914, but you don't jump into war unprepared and for no reason. Military spending skyrocketed at in the years prior and trade disputes significantly impacted international trade, and thus tarrif revenues.
See Payne-Aldrich Tarrif Act, and Revenue Act of 1913.

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ImLeftFooted
Member #3,935
October 2003
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Income tax is unjust and awful. Plain and simple. Its no different than theft.

In addition, the economic impacts of a 40% tax on the rich are numerous. That and lawsuits have turned society into this bizarre risk-adverse scared-of-doing-anything child.

amber
Member #6,783
January 2006
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Bob said:

you don't jump into war unprepared and for no reason

Except if it's in Iraq! Ooooh....

Come on, someone had to. :P

Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
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Income tax is unjust and awful. Plain and simple. Its no different than theft.

Right. And next you'll be saying regulation, universal healthcare and education are bad ::)

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"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
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After the govt is done bollixing them up, hell yes!
Why does DRM get everybody up in arms?
Why else is the cost of doctors visits so astronomically high?
Why are American kids so stupid they can't locate Europe on a globe?

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

Mark Oates
Member #1,146
March 2001
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cost of doctors visits so astronomically high?

Rest of the world, I am so envious of your health care systems. :(

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Matthew Leverton
Supreme Loser
January 1999
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Evert
Member #794
November 2000
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Matthew's link said:

While the number of registered dentists has steadily increased over the past two decades, many had drifted away from state-funded treatment and moved into the private sector.

In other words, it's not working as it's supposed to.
I also have a hard time believing it's that hard to see a dentist every half year (or year) for general checkups and then go to the same dentist when you have a more acute problem.

Tobias Dammers
Member #2,604
August 2002
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Why else is the cost of doctors visits so astronomically high?

Because a better healthcare system would require higher taxes.

Income tax is unjust and awful. Plain and simple. Its no different than theft.

It's really very very simple.
There's a few million people in a country, and they have to figure out a way of living alongside each other in relative peace. There are some things, however, that are better arranged commonly - the very minimum being some sort of government, basic infrastructure, police. Those things have to be paid for, because you won't find a police officer or roadworker who does it all for free. Add up the costs, and devise a scheme that distributes the costs in a fair way.
Obviously, opinions about which things need to be paid for by the community differ, as do opinions on how to distribute them. However, linking payments to income isn't half bad if you ask me - those who have a higher income have less of a hard time coughing up the cash, and they are also likely to lay a higher strain on the common assets (use their car more often, get robbed more, have a larger home, produce more garbage, you name it).
The problem, however, especially with very large countries like the U.S., is that this very very simple mechanism becomes obfuscated through bureaucracy. People who pay taxes can't see what it's used for, and emotionally, 'the government' or 'the state' take 'my money' to do 'their thing' with it. People don't seem to realize that 'the state' is the sum of its citizens.

To clarify: theft means person A takes something from person B against person B's will. Taxes means the community takes something from every citizen to cover the costs of shared assets. Paying taxes is buying rounds, theft is not paying for your drinks. In fact, tax evasion is more like theft than taxes themselves, however annoying they are.

Quote:

In addition, the economic impacts of a 40% tax on the rich are numerous.

I doubt that.
The 40% tax only applies to private incomes, not to a company's profit: the latter is left untouched. The economic impact is therefor mainly limited to the money those rich people can spend. The upside, however, is that there is also significant tax income for the state, which can be used to stimulate the economy in all sorts of ways, or even just to compensate the losses of people who have been bitten in the a&*.

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StevenVI
Member #562
July 2000
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Quote:

Those who have a higher income . . . get robbed more

An interesting hypothesis. You should do some research to investigate this instead of writing it off as fact. (In my experience, crime is more concentrated around the poorer people.)

Paying taxes is buying rounds, theft is not paying for your drinks.

So if someone buys you a round, you are a thief? ;)

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Arthur Kalliokoski
Second in Command
February 2005
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Arthur Kalliokoski said:

Why else is the cost of doctors visits so astronomically high?

Because a better healthcare system would require higher taxes.

No, because the doctors have been constantly padding the bill for 40+ years. "Add 10% to the bill, the government's paying for it" reiterated every year adds up.

Tobias Dammers said:

Paying taxes is buying rounds, theft is not paying for your drinks.

So if someone buys you a round, you are a thief? ;)

Exactly! That's why it's so attractive. Pork is the national food of congresscritters and their constituents.

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

ImLeftFooted
Member #3,935
October 2003
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Paying taxes is buying rounds, theft is not paying for your drinks. In fact, tax evasion is more like theft than taxes themselves, however annoying they are.

This is so ridiculously stupid that I have to point out that it is ridiculously stupid.

Merriam-Webster said:

1 a: the act of stealing ; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it

If you want to redefine theft as "any stealing which is not publicly condoned" than you must also approve of the Nazi's pilfering of tremendous wealth and the Egyptians approved usage of slavery. Or how about the Vikings approved pillaging throughout Europe?

No, the regime today is just oppressive as any regime who decides to 40% enslave people. Or are you just excited its someone else and not you being 40% enslaved?

One more thing...

Quote:

The 40% tax only applies to private incomes, not to a company's profit: the latter is left untouched.

In Q1 of 2009 Walmart paid a tax of $1,959 Million which is a tax rate (based on income) of 33.3% ref

Bob
Free Market Evangelist
September 2000
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If corporations are taxed differently from individuals, the so-called rich will use one or the other as a means to minimize their tax burden. It's relatively cheap to form a corporation and have it comply with all the regulations when you have a lot of money. It's not so when you're not uber rich.

Ultimately, the middle class pays the majority of all direct taxes. The productive pay for all taxes.

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Thomas Fjellstrom
Member #476
June 2000
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Its no use trying to convince Dustin of anything, he seems to be the personification of everything the current US Republican party believes in. (many staunch republican's don't even go that far...)

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"If you can't think of a better solution, don't try to make a better solution." -- weapon_S
"The less evidence we have for what we believe is certain, the more violently we defend beliefs against those who don't agree" -- https://twitter.com/neiltyson/status/592870205409353730

Bob
Free Market Evangelist
September 2000
avatar

To be fair, Republicans haven't believed in lower taxes in the last 60 years, nor have they managed to reduce taxes since(*). They do talk a lot about that though.

(*) Tax rates is not tax burden. Total present tax burden is always equal to total government spending.

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