What law, specifically, requires Americans to pay income tax?

Question

What I'm looking for is a citation of the specific law that states a citizen is subject to and liable for a federal income tax. Note that I am only asking about income tax. While the 16th Amendment does give Congress the power to lay and collect income tax, the 16th Amendment is not actually a law that lays an income tax. So I'm looking for some reference in the CFR or USC (probably in Title 26) or anything representing actual standing law, which once and for all states that American citizens owe income tax.

I've seen the argument many times over the past few years saying that there is no law. If there is a law, I would think that would be an easy answer to find, but I've not been able to find any law that requires an American citizen to pay taxes on what they earn through their labor. It seems that a lot of people have asked this question, but no one has ever really given a satisfactory answer.

Is it possible that we are actually tricked into paying taxes we don't owe?

coragryph: Section 7203 is titled "Willful failure to file return, supply information, or pay tax" and begins: "Any person required under this title to pay any estimated tax or tax, or required by this title or by regulations made under authority thereof to make a return, keep any records, or supply any
information, who willfully fails to pay such estimated tax or tax, make such return, keep such records, or supply such information, at the time or times required by law or regulations, shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $25,000 ($100,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both, together with the costs of prosecution."

This law specifies the penalty for "any person required" who fail to comply with the law. But where is the law that makes an American citizen "a person required..."? What law requires an American to file an income tax return?

Why is it so hard to come up with a single reference to a single law saying that American citizens are required to file income tax returns and pay income tax? We live in a country of LAWS.

WHERE IS THE LAW THAT REQUIRES ME TO PAY INCOME TAX???

WHY IS THAT SUCH A HARD QUESTION FOR AVERAGE AMERICANS, LET ALONE FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ITSELF, TO ANSWER?!!?!?!?!

If Americans are subject to and liable for a federal income tax, there should be a law that CLEARLY says so. WHERE IS THAT LAW?

Answer 1

There is no law! *sm*

Answer 2

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RE:
What law, specifically, requires Americans to pay income tax?
What I'm looking for is a citation of the specific law that states a citizen is subject to and liable for a federal income tax. Note that I am only asking about income tax. While the 16th Amendment does give Congress the power to lay and collect income tax, the 16th Amendment is not actually a...

Answer 3

Any law that requires you to pay taxes on your wages is unconstitutional according to a Supreme Court ruling which decided that the definition of "income" was profits & gains on money that you already had on hand. When you hire yourself out for wages you do not profit or gain...it is an even trade...your time and labor in return for money! Now let's says you take the money that you trade your time and labor for and buy a house and flip it for more that what you paid plus the amount you spend to do any work on that house, then, in light of the Supreme Court's decision, the profit/gain is income. However the lower courts always, whether out of ignorance or colusion, side/agree with the IRS, so if you choose to not pay then good luck....the only people I have ever heard of getting away with this stand against the IRS are lawyers.

Answer 4

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To the morons practicing law without a license: which law specifically and why don't you cite them? Could it be you don't know of any law requiring you to pay income tax? I do believe the Federal Reserve Bank is privately owned, though I can't tell you who owns it you might want to research it yourself. And our country is a republic, not a democracy. Look up the definitions, but feel free to pledge allegiance to the flag and to the democracy for which it stands if that makes you feel better. To the asker: Americans have to pay income tax to avoid the violence inherent in the government. If you don't pay they will seize your assets, throw you in jail, and ruin your life in general, in the name of protecting you. Similar to a mafia protection racket in many ways, except the mafia didn't declare themselves legal when they forced you to pay for your protection. I recommend reading some works by Lysander Spooner or Marc Stevens for more information on the subject. Edit: Thank you for your input Cappy sorry I missed your post, but where did Congress get this Power: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."? If you say "They get it from the people.", I know I never had the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, and you didn't either the whole is equal to the sum of it's parts. If I can't lay and collect taxes from whatever source derived and you can't together we still can't even if we had five more people it wouldn't help. 10,000 people wouldn't be enough we could pull it off with violence to enforce our actions, but it's still unjust. If we have no right to take someone else's property against their will even to protect them, then we cannot delegate that power to any other person or agency. Including government. If 2 or 10 or 10,000 or any number of people can't lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, how do you propose to have them delegate a power they never had to begin with? And why don't they lay and collect taxes on incomes, from China, Russia or Iraq (whatever source derived)? Unless declaring something legal didn't actually make it just? Perhaps China, Russia or Iraq wouldn't tolerate our government deriving income from them, and the government can't force them to comply with violence and coertion?

Answer 5

Title 26 of the U.S. Code is the prima facie law covering the Internal Revenue Code.

The following covers the imposition of the income tax.
Title 26, Subtitle A, CHAPTER 1, Subchapter A, PART I, § 1
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000001----000-.html
"There is hereby imposed on the taxable income of—"

In TITLE 26, Subtitle A, CHAPTER 1, Subchapter B, PART I,
§ 61 Defines gross income
§ 62 Defines adjusted gross income
§ 63 Defines taxable income

§ 61(a) of the Internal Revenue Code says that “gross income” means “all income from whatever source derived, including (but not limited to) the following items: (1) Compensation for services, including fees, commissions, fringe benefits, and similar items....”

The above means wages, no matter what a tax law denier says. Courts have consistently upheld that wages are income.

In United States v. Connor, 898 F.2d 942, 943-944 (3rd Cir. 1990).
“Every court which has ever considered the issue has unequivocally rejected the argument that wages are not income.”

Taxable income, which is referenced in § 1 is defined in § 63.
..."taxable income means gross income minus the deductions
allowed by this chapter (other than the standard deduction)."

That is the basics on the imposition of the income tax and what it covers.

In Title 26, Subtitle F, Chapter 61, Subchapter A, Part II, Subpart B, § 6012
"...Returns with respect to income taxes under subtitle A shall be made by the following:
(1)(A) Every individual having for the taxable year gross income which equals or exceeds the exemption amount,..."

That makes it pretty clear that people must file income tax returns. If you have other questions or you've seen some other tax law denier (tax protestor) arguments, please read the excellent tax protestor faq at http://evans-legal.com/dan/tpfaq.html

BTW, there is nothing wrong with trying to reduce your taxes or your taxable income within the limits of the law. That is called tax avoidance and is legal. Purposely filing false returns or claiming more deductions than a person is allowed or simply not paying taxes is called tax EVASION and is ILLEGAL.

Good luck,

EDIT: EXACTLY WHAT PART OF MY ANSWER CAN YOU NOT READ? TITLE 26, WHICH IS LAW WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, IS LONG BUT IS PRETTY SPECIFIC. I ALSO POINTED YOU DIRECTLY TO THE SPECIFIC SECTIONS THAT SAY YOU SHALL FILE A RETURN AND WHERE THE TAX IS IMPOSED. SINCE BY YOUR LAST POST YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE A TAX PROTESTOR, GO AHEAD AND NOT FILE OR PAY YOUR TAXES. PS. LET ME KNOW YOUR REAL NAME AND WHERE YOU LIVE. I'LL BE HAPPY TO TURN YOU IN SO YOU CAN TRY AND PROVE YOUR THEORY IN COURT.

Answer 6

Lots of sections in Title 26....

26 USC 7203 makes it a crime to fail to pay tax....
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/26/subtitles/f/chapters/75/subchapters/a/parts/i/toc.html

And yes, the IRS frequently gets away with threatening and coercing people into paying taxes that they legally are not required to -- such is the nature of bullies.

Answer 7

You don't have to pay income tax if you don't have any income and not only that, there are lots of ways to have income that can't be proven to the government, like cash.
Anyway, I don't know the answer to your question.
It makes a person wonder if it is all worth it and if the government isn't giving us the once over if you know what I mean.

Answer 8

Wikipedia.com
Article 1, section 8, clause 1, of the Constitution, later it became the Sixteenth Amendment
I think it was enacted to pay for the civil war, and was only going to be a short term tax, but the powers that be DC, as will as the same powers today, could not resist the steady flow of cash.

Answer 9

There is no law, but it hasn't stopped the government from intimidating Americans and stealing their assets.

Answer 10

Not this crap again, Yahoo answers, ban these types of questions please!!!!