Irwin Schiff. That is my fourth and final answer to those who continually write me whenever I write about taxes. Most recently I wrote “Obama’s Tax Proposals: A Libertarian Analysis.” But no matter what I write about taxes, I am told that filing your taxes is voluntary, paying your taxes is voluntary, the 16th Amendment was not properly ratified, most Americans aren’t required to pay income tax, etc., etc., etc.
My first answer is to consult the IRS answer to frivolous tax arguments. My second answer is the most excellent three-part article by Sheldon Richman titled “Beware Income Tax Casuistry.” My third answer is that libertarians pay taxes for the same reason they give their money to an armed robber, not because of the 16th Amendment or the tax code. My fourth answer is Irwin Schiff, who is rotting in jail for tax evasion because the government rejected his anti-tax arguments.
For the record, just in case you had any doubt, I despise the IRS and the tax code and don’t believe that Schiff should be in jail. And I am working on a new article about taxation right now.
8:08 am on February 4, 2015
