Federal Income Tax

[allegrox]

There have been some videos and things going around about federal income tax. People are claiming now that they have no legal obligation to pay it. The argument mostly revolves around the Sixteenth Amendment:

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several

Comments

[pontelon]

Hrm. I'll still pay my taxes... but it is interesting and something they should probably fix...

[allegrox]

Yeah, I think they need to do two things:

1. Create a law that specifies this tax
2. Apportion it like the Constitution originally specified

Tax breaks in higher brackets make no sense (except to the people in those brackets). They serve only to make those people richer and everyone else poorer. There's no particular reason this should be done except that the people making the laws want to give themselves tax cuts.
Creating a law would satisfy some, but would admit that the problem existed. There have already been lawsuits by people wanting their money back. At this point, it's doubtful that the government will budge. Expect a (small) revolution to be squashed and everyone to subsequently forget. It wouldn't be the first time.

[pontelon]

Well, technically the courts always work on previous rulings as law. It sucks, but it's how it works. So even if the Senate didn't pass a law saying they could, it's still as good as law.

And those in the lower brackets DO get tax cuts as well. It's the middle class that usually gets raped.

[allegrox]

So even if the Senate didn't pass a law saying they could, it's still as good as law.
In practice, but not in spirit.

And those in the lower brackets DO get tax cuts as well. It's the middle class that usually gets raped.
This is true.