It never fails. Every time I write about taxes I get an e-mail telling me that I am deceived about the income tax. This time it is this:

The income tax is a benign, Constitutional tax that simply doesn’t apply to the earnings of most Americans. The tax laws themselves, scores of United States Supreme Court rulings, and every other relevant authority all acknowledge this truth in no uncertain terms. Perhaps the most telling acknowledgment takes the form of tens of thousands of complete, 100% refunds of every penny paid-in by, or withheld from, American men and women in connection with the income tax– Social Security and Medicare taxes included. These most concrete of admissions have been being made by federal and state tax authorities steadily for years and years now to those who know the liberating truth about the tax.

Okay, what tax law? What Supreme Court rulings? What relevant authorities? What people got refunds? What federal and state tax authorities? They never say.

The bottom line is this. It doesn’t matter what the Constitution says. It doesn’t matter what the tax code says. It doesn’t matter if the 16th amendment is illegitimate. It doesn’t matter if the income tax doesn’t apply to the earnings of most Americans. All that matters is that the IRS has guns and prison cells waiting for those who don’t pay up. Some benign law that is. Just ask Irwin Schiff. Just because the IRS hasn’t come after you or anyone you know for not paying any taxes is immaterial. Thank God for selective enforcement and government incompetence.

I urge everyone to read the Sheldon Richman piece that I linked to in my article today.

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