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IRS can now revoke U.S. passports over back taxes

Owing money to the IRS has never been a crime. We do not have debtor's prisons in the U.S.

It is, however, a crime to evade taxation through nefarious means, ie; under reporting income, falsifying documentation, claiming fake dependents.

If you acknowledge your tax debt, even if you're not paying that debt, you cannot be imprisoned. Your wages can be garnished, bank accounts and other property can be seized, but you cannot be imprisoned unless the government can show that you deliberately lied or mislead the IRS. Owing money, even being behind in payments, is not a crime.
 
What if...? said:
So our freedom of movement, arguably the cornerstone of the concept of liberty, is just a privelege to be revoked as opposed to a right.
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When you break the law, you start to lose some of your rights.
Not paying your taxes is a crime.
 
Stealers Wheel said:
Owing money to the IRS has never been a crime. We do not have debtor's prisons in the U.S.

It is, however, a crime to evade taxation through nefarious means, ie; under reporting income, falsifying documentation, claiming fake dependents.

If you acknowledge your tax debt, even if you're not paying that debt, you cannot be imprisoned. Your wages can be garnished, bank accounts and other property can be seized, but you cannot be imprisoned unless the government can show that you deliberately lied or mislead the IRS. Owing money, even being behind in payments, is not a crime.
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Punishment for tax evasion which includes not paying your taxes can result in five years in a federal prison.
Under the federal income taxes laws non-payment of your taxes altogether is against the law.

Three primary laws exist for not paying your taxes:
1. Tax evasion which is cheating on your taxes. This is a felony. Punishment for tax evasion which includes not paying your taxes can result in five years in prison.
2. Filing false returns is also a felony that can result up to three years in prison.
3. Not filing taxes is a misdemeanor that can result up to one year in prison.
All three categories include monetary fines as well.
 
What if...? said:
If a corporation doesn't pay its taxes how do you revoke its passport?

They're people, right?
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No a corporation is not a person. If a corporation does not file its C corporation form 1120, they accrue penalty and fines.
I’m sure if they find someone in the corporation knowingly filing false returns, there could be prison time.
 
What if...? said:
If a corporation doesn't pay its taxes how do you revoke its passport?

They're people, right?
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There was a software company CEO that was sentenced to 21 months for employment tax fraud.
There was an executive of a fire equipment company that failed to pay taxes and sentenced to three years.
There have been owners of smaller companies imprisoned as well.
 
Remember that this is the same IRS that Obama weaponized against political opponents. Imagine this power in the hands of the Castro brothers (The Texas Castro brothers, not the Cuban Castro brothers). However, time and geography seems to be the only differences between the two.
 
Outlook said:
Punishment for tax evasion which includes not paying your taxes can result in five years in a federal prison.
Under the federal income taxes laws non-payment of your taxes altogether is against the law.

Three primary laws exist for not paying your taxes:
1. Tax evasion which is cheating on your taxes. This is a felony. Punishment for tax evasion which includes not paying your taxes can result in five years in prison.
2. Filing false returns is also a felony that can result up to three years in prison.
3. Not filing taxes is a misdemeanor that can result up to one year in prison.
All three categories include monetary fines as well.
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Simply not paying taxes does not get you prison time. You cannot go to prison simply because you owe money - to anyone, including the government.

If one says "Yes, I owe that money, and I don't have it to pay." They are not going to prison, unless the government can prove the person deliberately deceived or evaded or falsified something. Simply not paying the tax is not a criminal act.
 
beefheart said:
If you owe the IRS and work with them, they can be very accommodating.
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I've worked with IRS for decades. They can be and usually are accommodating, but sometimes they are not.

However, if you go out of your way not to pay the taxes that you owe, then too damn bad, own up and pay what you owe. Way too many kooks and tax dodgers out there who think they are somehow special...they aren't.
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It's not that simple in real life, which has been my point all along. I have no interest in protecting "tax dodgers" but am just pointing out that the people who can be caught up in this are in my experience often good people trying to do the right thing but who get caught up in the jaws of the tax system. It's hard to navigate even for people like me who know how to do it.
 
Carjosse said:
Revoke export permits, revoke business permits, etc.
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This poses the same problem as putting people in jail for not paying taxes and why it is not done: For the non-criminal, the IRS wants your past due taxes paid, nothing more. By taking actions that would hinder, not help, someone to pay their taxes is counterproductive. Reducing a company's ability to generate income is counterproductive to getting them to pay their taxes.
 
Stealers Wheel said:
This poses the same problem as putting people in jail for not paying taxes and why it is not done: For the non-criminal, the IRS wants your past due taxes paid, nothing more. By taking actions that would hinder, not help, someone to pay their taxes is counterproductive. Reducing a company's ability to generate income is counterproductive to getting them to pay their taxes.
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It is to encourage them to pay their taxes, there needs to be some kind of consequence. They could just easily avoid it by paying them.
 
Outlook said:
52K is a lot of money in back taxes.
400,000 people out of 350 million is a drop in the bucket.
I have no sympathy for the 400,000 people who have not paid their taxes.

What happens if you don't pay a traffic ticket? Your license is suspended.
What happens if you don't pay your child support? You can be thrown in jail.
What happens if you don't pay your car invoice? They will repossess your car.

What happens if you don't pay your taxes? You can't travel, which is okay because you can't afford to travel if you owe the government over 52K.
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Ditto. Perfect post.
 
Stealers Wheel said:
Simply not paying taxes does not get you prison time. You cannot go to prison simply because you owe money - to anyone, including the government.

If one says "Yes, I owe that money, and I don't have it to pay." They are not going to prison, unless the government can prove the person deliberately deceived or evaded or falsified something. Simply not paying the tax is not a criminal act.
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OMG
Why don’t you do some homework. Google whether not paying your taxes is against the law.
No sense wasting my time any further on someone that has no ability to learn.
 
My nephew was prohibited from getting a passport. When I got him into Canada with a driver license and a birth certificate he shocked and grateful. Coming back into USA, the border guard yelled at us, but that was as far as it went.

Kreton said:
Did you get a letter? You sound like you got a letter.
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You should take your own advice:

Can You Go to Jail for Not Paying Taxes? - FindLaw

You can go to jail for not filing your taxes. You can go to jail for lying on your return. But you can’t go to jail for not having enough money to pay your taxes. To better understand these distinctions, let’s take a closer look at when you risk jail time for failing to pay your taxes.
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Outlook said:
OMG
Why don’t you do some homework. Google whether not paying your taxes is against the law.
No sense wasting my time any further on someone that has no ability to learn.
Click to expand...
 
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