If people find out about the illegality of the FEDERAL RESERVE and the INCOME TAX, will they every change it?

Question

Aaron Russo, Hollywood producer of THE ROSE and TRADING PLACES made a film this year titled FROM FREEDOM TO FASCISM (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4312730277175242198) and challenges the legality of the Federal Reserve System and the collection of Income Tax from private citizens.

The story is not reported in the national media since the corporations stand to gain by the continuation of the Fed and the Income Tax.

I know people think that not paying income tax will put you in jail. But is that true?

In the documentary, there was a non-taxpayer who was tried for not paying taxes and he kept asking: SHOW ME THE LAW that says I have to pay.

The jury asked the judge to see the law. The non-taxpayer by the way was a former IRS agent.

So the judge refused to show the jury the law.

The Jury, feeling like the request the defendent made over and over--SHOW ME THE LAW--was never answered, acquitted him.

DID YOU SEE THIS ON YOUR CNN?

Why not?

Do you know millions of Americans do not pay income tax every year?

Do you know that over 90% of your income tax goes to one thing--paying interest to the FEDERAL RESERVE, a private corporation, not a government institution?

Is there some knowledge that, if armed with, Americans would stand up to what is fair?

The 1913 law says only CORPORATIONS have to pay income tax, not individuals.

It was challenged in the Supreme Court!

Answer 1

I saw the film based on some encouragement from fellow Yahoo answerers.

As a liberatarian and as a person who loves documentaries, I was hoping for great things.

But I was very disappointed. I found the film to be intellectually dishonest and a vehicle for the filmmaker to further his political beliefs with blatant misformation. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and educate the viewer. This one doesn't.

Here are some examples:

--- The film claims there is no law that requires someone to pay income tax with the only explanation that we pay tax is because of a huge conspiracy with everyone in government going along.

I thought it was odd the filmmaker could not find the statute. So I looked it up on the internet and found it in five minutes (ref: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00006012----000-.html )

Huh? If it is so easy to find, why does the filmmaker say otherwise? In a NY times story, he was aware of the IRS statute and claims it does not constitute law based on some nit-picking technicality. OK, that's fine but a good documentary maker would tell the whole story, not leave out signficant facts because they harm his main thesis.

--- Another claim: The 16th amendment was not ratified. Yet there are countless sources that say otherwise. Wikipedia lists all the states and the dates they ratified it. The arguments against ratification are actually quite interesting but the filmmaker does not bother to inform us those reasons; only paint it as part of the conspiracy.

So what are the arguments? Because most of the states had punctuation or spelling errors in what they passed. Hmmm... is that enough? No. Apparently this happens frequently with amendments and business; remember these were the days before you could "cut-and-paste" and everyone had to transcribe by hand. In law, an inconsequential error in a legal document is not enough to nullify the document as a whole.

The film is entertaining but in the final analysis, just a fine example of political propaganda and conspiracy thinking.

For more detail on some of the argument, see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_protester_constitutional_arguments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_protester_statutory_arguments

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_protester_conspiracy_arguments

Answer 2

The income tax is legal under an amendment to the Constitution which allows the Federal government to collect an income tax (the 16 th Amendment). The Federal Reserve bank is legal because it mints and distributes the currency of the United States and facilitates interstate trade (Article I, Sec. 8, US Constitution), both duties of the Federal Government.

Mr. Russo is incorrect and should read the Constitution before making such claims.

Answer 3

Because the IRS has NO police powers & is nothing buta RICO, terrorist private debt collector for the Fed-see Bill Benson, Law that never was. Or Diversified Metals vs IRS
Call ur Sec of St n ask if the IRS is licensec, incorporated, bonded & insured to do ANY type of business within Your State

Answer 4

Not paying income taxes won't necessarily put you in jail, but it sure as hell will make your life a living hell and will take every last bit of property and money you have.

As for the illegality of the income tax... it isn't illegal since Congress overrode our founding father's intentions of NOT having an income tax by adding an amendment to the Constitution. (I find this to be completely bogus, BTW).

I understand that we need to pay taxes in order to keep the country running but it has gotten completely out of control as well as unfair.

Answer 5

I personally have been hearing this same bull since the 70s. It's a load of crap.

Do you honestly think that if the income tax wasn't legal that a bunch of rich law firms wouldn't have filed a class action suit against the government?

Answer 6

the biggest subject acceptable now is that there are greater human beings out of paintings than jobs accessible. And, from what i'm able to work out, interior the better unemployment areas, we've some stunning workers finding for paintings, no longer in simple terms welfare recipients. So, if Obama desires to help restoration our financial gadget, the suited element he can do is to locate the thank you to help new corporation enhance, for corporation vendors prepared to hire workers. And, grant tax credit and provides you to new corporation vendors.

Answer 7

There are plenty of people working to change the law as we speak. Check out the "Fair Tax" book by Boortz and Linder. Many politicians are signing on to this idea.

Answer 8

You are wrong. Every person that has tried to make this claim and refuse to pay taxes has been found guilty and been put in jail.


Why don't you do an experiment for us and stop paying you taxes? Let us know how it turns out for you.

Answer 9

I would be willing to bet, that if you fail to pay your taxes, when you are caught that you will be paying them with interest or doing time in a Federal prison.

Answer 10

Doesn't matter. It's all bunkum.

"Legal" and "constitutional" are what the U.S. Supreme Court says is legal and constitutional. Not what some far-out self-taught legal philosopher opines.

The prisons are full of people who denied that particular statutes that they chose to ignore were valid.