Originally Posted by
psyflyer
FWIW, Ron Paul is a presidential candiadte advocating the abolishment of The Federal Reserve (as well as the income tax and IRS, which again its illegal and there is not ONE law on ANY book saying one exists... but ignorance prevails and people think it is...assumptions assumptions.)
www.ronpaul2008.com
There's certainly a valid argument that can be made that taxes are too high, or income taxes are bad policy. I would think the libertarians would be better off sticking to that tack than conspiracy theories that income taxes are illegal.
1. The Constitution authorizes taxes.
Originally Posted by Article I, section 8
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
2. Both houses of Congress passed and the President signed the Internal Revenue Acts of 1954 and 1986, and this law is on the books as chapter 26 of the US Code. Section 1 is the law that says the tax exists; Section 6011 requires a tax return.
3. The 16th Amendment cleared up the issue of whether tax on income from rents and royalties was a property or income tax (in response to
Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co). Income taxes on wages were legal prior to the 16th being passed, so repealing it won't help.
For those interested, there's a
good FAQ on the subject. Like I said, the libertarian position that taxes are bad policy is a defensible one; claiming that income taxes are illegal shows a profound misunderstanding of our legal system. That's hardly the person I'd want as president.