My awakening started about 10 years ago. Long story short, I'm now at the point where I am questioning why I've ever paid income taxes.
I left the corporate world in 2019 and I have my own business as does my spouse. We don't have any employees. Last year we got some crazy notice from the IRS saying we made a mistake and owe them $2800 more dollars. A few friends also got some letters like this. I wrote back and they sent me back a letter saying THEY made a mistake, but we still owe the $2800 and now we owe interest on it?!? I am not joking when the letters they send make NO sense and seem like a bunch of jargon and words smashed together to sound official.
Are the rumors true? Are we NOT required to pay income taxes as citizens? Over 15% of my earnings already go to taxes (property tax and everything else we pay day to day). My spouse and I canceled our health insurance over a year ago because we couldn't afford that AND income taxes. I thought we'd have extra money, but we do not with the rising cost of food and gas and well, you know.
If I don't pay will we go to jail? I've never heard of anyone except celebrities having to do this. I am happy to pay taxes that pay for actual healthcare, children, roads, etc. I have no desire to fund weapons or war. I will fund peace no problem. I donate to causes I believe in when I can.
This may be just a rant, but I am pretty much DONE doing things that don't make any sense. I feel like if enough of us refused to pay taxes on our income it could accelerate breaking out of this matrix. However, it does feel like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I also left corporate for self employment a few years ago and was surprised at how much less I paid/owed due to all the write offs allowed. Granted I also didn't earn as much, but the lighter tax load has been helpful.
I have also started digging in to the history of Fed income tax and as other has eluded to, it was never really written/passed into law. Still, that makes no difference with the power they have to fuck your life up severely if you don't pony up. It sucks because there's no due process, no accountability and the complex tax code only garners them more money at our ignorance of their convoluted system. The other downside is that middle class can't afford tax attorneys who know how to fight back. The Fed "banks" on that fact (literally and figuratively). Don't even get me started on the double tax on things like tax refunds, inheritance etc.
I'm not against taxes, but the Fed Income tax need to fucking die, PFQ. 150 plus million Americans resisting (not refusing) for a year or two would wake a lot of tyrants up.
Edit: A government that is fearful of it's citizens is true self rule and true freedom. Citizen's that are fearful of their government is tyranny and true slavery.
Amen. In my case, my estimated tax payments were embezzled. The CA income tax agency said that since they "couldn't locate" my payments I needed to pay them more money to cover the tax liability. They filed a wage garnishment. I never had the opportunity to go before a judge to prove the liability had already been paid prior to the garnishment. I did eventually sue them in tax court, and then appealed in superior court, but I had to represent myself because I couldn't afford a lawyer. It's like $100,000 + in legal fees to go to court.
I am so sorry you had to go through that. Makes me so angry to hear these experiences. Goes to my point that they don’t do this to the wealthy because they know they can afford to battle the system. The time has long past needing for Americans to stand up in mass against this crap. I only wish I knew how to get the ball rolling. People like us are too busy trying to work and save and meagerly get by, or if lucky, get ahead. BTW, I never pay estimated quarterlies. I just pay the little penalty. I’ve usually made more off the mutual fund interest during the year to make it worthwhile, even w/ the cap gain tax.