Congress to Jump-Start the IRS?

by Joe Blow   

When the people fear the government, tyranny has found victory. ~ Thomas Jefferson

John Cochran writes, “Congress is concerned by a new report that indicates tax evaders no longer fear the IRS.”

Apparently, some people have seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

“The result is billions of dollars are lost to the U.S. treasury — billions that put more of a burden on honest people who do pay their taxes.”

Non sequitur and false. The U.S. Treasury cannot lose what it never had and what one person pays has absolutely no bearing on what anyone else pays. The notion of paying a “fair share” is a red herring at best. The Internal Revenue Code is silent on the issue, telling you all you need to know about that popular urban legend.  

The federal income tax system is voluntary, and filing a return is only required if a liability exists. That can only be determined after an assessment is made. Not filing is certainly no proof of dishonesty since it is normal behavior when no liability exists.  

The employee makes the assessment and if he or she determines that no liability exists, there is no reason to file, unless a refund is due. At that point, if the IRS disagrees, it is free to conduct its own assessment. The fact that the IRS is unable to do so in all cases is not the employee’s problem. Neither is it the problem of anyone else, who after conducting an assessment, determines that a liability exists and then files his or her own return.

“Congressional investigators report 400,000 people are using tax evasion schemes, such as hiding revenue in offshore banks, often on pleasant islands in the Caribbean . That's three times more than the IRS reported to Congress just a few months ago. ‘It's astonishing that the IRS isn't taking the action we need to crack down on these 400,000 people who are stealing $40 billion a year from the rest of us,’ said Bob McIntyre of Citizens for Tax Justice.”

More bogus logic, for public consumption. No connection exists between individual taxpayers. The fact that some individuals may be sheltering their income offshore in no way results in “stealing $40 billion a year from the rest of us.” Sheltering one’s own income doesn’t “steal” anything from anybody, including the IRS. Your income does not belong to the IRS, or any other State agency. It is private property, subject to forfeit only through due process. Once again, the fact that the IRS is unable to control this issue in all cases is not the employee’s problem.

“‘The number of Americans who believe it is OK to cheat on their taxes has gone from 11 percent to 17 percent in just the last four years,’ IRS Commissioner Mark Everson said.”

Cheating is one thing, complying with the law, as written, is quite another. The fact that Congress has instituted an income tax system that is an unworkable abortion is not the employee’s problem. If the IRS cannot function within its own system, it should be abolished. Any company that functioned as poorly as the IRS does would have gone out of business decades ago. The shareholders would have seen to that. What are citizens if not State shareholders?

“Congress, shocked by the growing number of tax evaders, now says it wants the IRS to get tough again. But Congress cut this year's IRS budget request, making it harder to collect $40 billion from tax cheats.”

The IRS now finds itself worse off than before, thanks to the intervention of Congress back in 1997, when it demanded a “kindler, gentler” IRS.

The State has only one tool: force. Obviously, what is needed now is more force, to make the voluntary income tax system even more voluntary, right?

The anti-tax movement continues to grow, as does the number of non-filers. Currently, the vast majority of non-filers are simply ignored by the IRS and relatively few cases ever come to trial, let alone result in a “conviction” or prison time. Of course, when the IRS “wins” one of these cases it is national news, but when it loses the press is not interested. Funny how that works, huh?

“‘It's astonishing that the IRS isn't taking the action we need to crack down on these 400,000 people who are stealing $40 billion a year from the rest of us,’ said Bob McIntyre of Citizens for Tax Justice.”

Here’s my much more accurate version of the above statement:

It’s astonishing that the people aren’t taking the action we need to crack down on these State agents who are stealing trillions of dollars a year from the rest of us, including the unborn, for decades to come.

States, like income tax systems, only survive as long as the support of the slaves continues. When that support disappears, so do they. The result is freedom vice tyranny.

Maybe 2004 will be the year when the slaves figure out that they can control their futures and finally choose liberty over slavery by withdrawing their support of the State and the agency that is uses to enslave them — the IRS.

If you want peace and freedom, stop paying for war and tyranny.