Some participants and sympathizers in Monday's march around the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C., have grown weary of the government's silence in response to questions about the federal income tax and have begun discussing their next move: openly advocating that citizens stop filing tax returns.
Although members of the loosely organized tax-revolt movement believe most Americans do not owe income taxes, it should be stressed that no major tax organization is yet officially recommending that people stop filing returns and paying taxes.
Organized by the We The People Foundation, Monday's march could be characterized as the final line drawn in the sand; the group has sent invitations to government officials, including IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti, for about a half-dozen events -- all of which have been either ignored or rejected.
Calling their cause the "tax-honesty" movement, marchers simply wanted Rossotti or a representative to come and show the group the law that makes them liable to pay income taxes. The IRS has been invited, via certified mail, to several discussion forums and workshops where the citizens question the IRS' authority to collect the tax. But the federal government has yet to answer, even as protesters stood by the hundreds in front of the IRS building silently waiting.
The march began shortly after 10 a.m. from the Jefferson Memorial -- about a 30-minute walk from the IRS building. Wearing dark blue jackets with "Tyranny Response Team" printed in yellow and carrying signs that read, "Obey the Constitution" and "Stop the illegal tax," marchers chanted, "Show us the law." After circling the building twice, protesters paused for remarks by We The People Chairman Bob Schulz at about 11:30 -- the time they had scheduled for Rossotti to speak. They waited silently for about 10 minutes, knowing the commissioner would again refuse to appear, and began shouting, "Show us Rossotti." A second, hand-written invitation was composed at the protest by march organizers and sent inside, where several people watched the protest from inside the building.
Pointing to various statutory arguments and to research suggesting the 16th Amendment was not properly ratified, income-tax opponents say they have made their case, but that the government has not responded. Several courts have thrown out legal challenges based on the income-tax opponents' assertions, but no decision has ever been made on the merits of their arguments. Frequently, courts determine that discussion of the validity of the 16th Amendment's ratification is a "political question," meaning the judicial branch is precluded from answering it.
"If it's a political question, then let's start a political discussion about it. But they don't want to talk about it," said Mike Bodine, a volunteer with We The People.
Bodine characterized the debate as a civil-rights issue. "What kind of government refuses to answer basic questions about interpretations of laws that allow them to confiscate up to half our income?" he asked. "How many more invitations do we need to make?"
Some in the tax-revolt movement are ready to do more than send invitations that continue to go unanswered. They believe the next step could be telling people not to file tax returns. But for now, WTP will keep requesting an explanation from the IRS.
"The government and the people are on a collision course," remarked Bodine. "We will continue to invite the government to answer these questions, but people can't just sit around unanswered," he added. Referring to the actions of revolutionary Americans and the nation's founding fathers, Bodine asserted, "We have a heritage of this. We are justified in this. It just can't go unanswered."
But if income-tax opponents do start openly encouraging people not to file returns, they will likely face harsh penalties. Last week's meeting of the Senate Finance Committee dealt specifically with "tax scams," and included discussion about income-tax opponents' arguments as outlined in a We The People USA Today ad. Schulz's request to represent WTP at the hearing was denied because, according to a committee spokeswoman, "We don't feel the need to provide a forum to a group that advocates breaking the law." The tax-attorney-staffed committee reviewed WTP's material, concluding the information was incorrect. Staff determined the group is promoting "illegal efforts to avoid paying taxes," said the spokeswoman.
Whether or not income-tax opponents agree with the committee staff's analysis, the consensus in all three branches of the federal government is that income-tax opponents' legal arguments are wrong -- period. During the hearing, committee members and witnesses discussed shutting down websites that promote tax fraud, which hearing participants classified as including We The People's arguments.
Even now, those who choose not to file tax returns based on research cited by We The People and other income-tax opponents such as Bill Benson, former IRS agent Joe Banister and Bill Conklin face severe penalties, including incarceration. Stiff fines and financial consequences are levied on those who act contrary to the courts' interpretation of current law.
Asked what would happen to the tax-revolt movement should the IRS finally respond to their invitations and explain point-by-point where the "tax-honesty" arguments fail, Bodine replied, "If they do that, we'll go away." Then he added, "If it was that simple, why haven't they done it already?"
The April edition of WorldNet magazine is devoted entirely to an in-depth examination of the income tax, the 16th Amendment and the legal strategies opponents are using to challenge them. Titled "Tax revolt: How Americans are challenging the IRS and the 16th Amendment," it is available from WND's online store.
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