>This article deals with my seventh principle of the
>Economic Means to Freedom: Exit tax systems to the
>extent you can do so legally -- with an acceptable
>level of risk
Before anyone undertakes to exercise any of the techniques advocated by Mr.
Mann to "exit the tax system," they would do well to review the several
dozen cases outlined at the following "tax protester" website. All of the
cases involve failed attempts by defendants to use one or more of the
"legal theories" which generally abound for "escaping the tax system."
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2278/
I should point out that I am deeply opposed to taxation in any form.
However, my opposition is on moral grounds--that being that taxation is
robbery. I think that using "legal theories" as a basis for not filing
returns and or not paying taxes serves only to affirm that authoritarian
law has a place in civilized society and that taxation is A-OK (they just
need an explicit law for it).
>Note that, in his advertisement above, Irwin Schiff is offering
>$50,000.00 to charity, if the "honorable gentlemen" addressed
>are able to cite any "specific laws making Americans 'liable'
>for and/or requiring them 'to pay' income taxes."
One of the cases on the website concerns a lawsuit by an attorney against
Schiff for breach of contract (failing to pay the reward). Schiff won the
case and the appeal. However, strangely, Schiff's defense was not that the
attorney did not provide proof that taxation was lawful and that average
citizens are required to file and pay. Schiff's defense was that the
acceptance of the offer was not timely (the attorney contacted Schiff after
seeing a rebroadcast of the original program where the offer was made).
While it's true that you have a good chance of not getting caught if you
don't file, I think that has a lot more to do with the inefficiency of the
IRS that it has to do with any "legal theories."
Nicholas Rich
Sachs, Savage & Noble http://www.ss-n.com
Debt Management Professionals 2530 Berryessa Rd Suite 218
Alternative Dispute Resolution San Jose CA 95132
Out-of-Court Settlements t: 408.279.1979
Results-Only f: 408.279.8945