The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California has upheld the criminal conviction of Robert Kahre, the man who tried to circumvent the IRS by paying his employees in gold coin. He relied on the face value of the gold coins being below the legal threshold that triggers withholding taxes. A $20 gold coin is legal tender for only $20 — not its gold value. Gold was never demonetized. From a strict construction perspective, Kahre was correct and should not have been charged legally. However, the IRS interprets the value of the gold, not the legal tender value. The Court held that Kahre didn’t do … Continue reading Never Trust Governments