Originally Posted by
rc408
My understanding is that there is a tax on gains but not on actual income (I am no expert and am going on what I've heard others discuss). There is a debate that income is not a "gain" because I am trading my time and abilities for an equal amount of pay so no "gain" is received.
Nope.
So, if I sell my own labor for $100, I must calculate the gain based on the difference between what I paid for my own labor (not what it is worth) and what I receive for it. Because I paid nothing for my own labor, everything I receive is income.
Looking at it another way, if I start the week with no money, am paid $100 for my labor, and end the week with $100, I am $100 richer than I was at the beginning of the month. That $100 gain is an “undeniable accession to wealth” (in the words of the Supreme Court), and therefore income.
Currently there is a couple who are protesting their court trial on this premise. They are holed up in their home surrounded by police, DHS, etc and have been for months now. You can search if you want to find it, I won't post any link.
Well, yeah, if you break the law and threaten to kill anyone that tries to arrest you, that's what will happen. A legal case on that basis doesn't have a prayer, there are court cases on that argument going back to 1913 and every one lost.