What do you think of the idea in Zeitgeist to not to pay tax.?

Question

This little text is from (http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/q&a.htm) Q&A part of Zeitgeist official website. What is true in is if not all? I'm a bit confused, what do YOU think?

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1) Isn't the Income Tax Law stated in Title 26 of the IRS code?

Wasn't the 16th Amendment fully ratified? Do I have to pay taxes?

(A) The Income tax is not applicable to the wages of a person for wages paid for a service is Barter and this by all precedent set via the Supreme Court is not "taxable income". There is no statute for the average wage earner to pay taxes- just for corporate gains. (B) Even if there was a law, it would be unconstitutional for you are being forced to be a witness against yourself by the mandatory filing and signing of the return (5th amendment), which is why in the code is says discreetly that the filing is "voluntary", even though it isn't practiced as such. (C) What is codified in Title 26 does not make the average person liable to pay income tax.

In order for there to be taxable domestic income, all of the following

must occur:

1. One must receive a taxable "item" of income such as compensation, interest, rents, etc. (per 26 USC 61 and following).

2. The "source rules" must categorize the income as domestic income (per 26 USC 861(a) and 26 CFR 1.861-2 through 1.861-7).

3. The income must derive from a "specific source or activity"which is taxable (per 26 USC 861(b) and 26 CFR 1.861-8 and following).

(D) As far as the 16th amendment, it was not even remotely close to legal ratification, therefore voiding the whole thing as unconstitutional.

See:

"The Law That Never was" by Bill Benson for more info on the 16th Amendment.

Challenge:

http://livefreenow.org

As far as paying taxes, yes, you have to pay taxes... not because you are legally bound to, but because the Establishment Courts ignore the illegality of the issue. There are numerous cases of individuals who have been acquitted on the grounds that the court could not prove the law. However, none of these have been powerful enough to incite public opinion to take a stand. There have been many who have fought the system with a certain degree of success but if you do choose to challenge your personal income taxes, you need to be VERY prepared. We recommend this free Book by Conklin to begin.

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Answer 1

Zeitgeist is conspiracy theory nonsense.  However, I will answer a large portion of your post.

Re: ...the wages of a person for wages paid for a service is Barter...

Wrong. Wages a person receives in exchange for work performed is a GAIN to that person.  A gain is calculated as the selling price less the amount paid previously by the seller.  For example, if you find a diamond ring in your backyard that is worth $4,000 and you sell it to your neighbor for $3,000, you have a $3,000 gain.  $3,000 selling price less the amount you paid for the ring which was $0.  It is the same for your labor.  You paid nothing for your labor.  If you sell it to your employer for $10 an hour and you work 40 hours and your employer pays you at the end of that 40 hours, you have a $400 gain.

The Supreme Court has never said that wages were not taxable income.  However, many courts have explicitly stated that wages are income.  Additionally, the statutes are not just for corporate gains.

Re: ...forced to be a witness against yourself by the mandatory filing and signing of the return (5th amendment)...

Wrong.  The 5th amendment protection is for CRIMINAL proceedings.  It does not apply to civil matters.  The requirement of filing an income tax return is a civil matter.  In United States v. MacLeod, 436 F.2d 947, 951 (8th Cir. 1971), cert. den. 402 U.S. 907 (1971), the court states, "The statutory requirement to file an income tax return does not violate a taxpayer’s right against self-incrimination."

Re: taxable income

Section 861 usually only applies to non-resident aliens. In Norman F. Dacey, T.C. Memo 1992-187, the court states, "As a citizen of the United States during the years at issue, petitioner is subject to United States Federal income tax on his worldwide income. Sec. 1; Cook v. Tait, 265 U.S. 47 (1924); sec 1.1-1(a)(1) and (c), Income Tax Regs. It is unnecessary to determine whether that income was from sources within or without the United States since petitioner is not a nonresident alien. See sec. 861."

In Rayner v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 2002-30, the court states, "In his trial memorandum, petitioner alleged: (1) Income from sources not listed in section 861 is exempt from taxation; (2) income earned by U.S. citizens in the United States is not listed; and (3) petitioner is a U.S. citizen and has income only from domestic sources. ... Petitioner’s contention that his income is not taxable is incorrect as a matter of law."

Re: 16th amendment not properly ratified.

Wrong.  Bill Benson's book has been completely refuted.  He claims he researched his book for a year.  It took me all of five minutes to find he misread at least one state constitution.  The court specifically said that Benson was wrong in U.S. v. Thomas, 788 F.2d 1250 (7th Cir. 1986).  You can read it at http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2...

Re: There are numerous cases of individuals who have been acquitted on the grounds that the court could not prove the law.

Wrong again.  Some people have been acquitted of "willful failure to file income tax returns".  However, not because the court could not prove the law.  The real reason some people were acquitted is because they were able to convince a jury that they truly believed they did not have to file and were therefore not "willful" in not filing their returns.  Basically, they convinced a jury they were too stupid to realize what everyone knows.  That a person has to file an income tax return.

I have a counter proposition.  I'll pay $300,000 if you can prove the following three statements are false.

1. Men landed on the Moon.

2. The Sun is hot.

3. The people running Freedom Law School are idiots and don't know what they are talking about.

You can't win because all three are true.

BTW, these so-called rewards presented by tax protesters have been shown to be bogus.  They make a big deal of offering the reward, but when they are shown what they ask for, they refuse to pay.  The courts have ruled that since they are the sole arbiters of what satisfies their conditions, that they don't have to pay.

Re: Conklin

http://tpgurus.wikidot.com/william-conkl...

  

Answer 2

What part of 95 years of federal income tax enforcement don't you understand?  There are two words that describe this nonsense and the first one is bull!

Answer 3

Wartz, Judy and Bostonian are the three most reliable answerers on tax issues on the yahoo answers board.  I can't add anything to what they said other than your saying that you relied on something you read on a website is not likely to convince a jury that you lacked the intent to evade tax.  

Answer 4

Many have tried and are serving time in jail.  Actor Wesley Snipes is currently looking at 10 years and millions in fines.

Answer 5

Zeitgeist is a farce.  It's not even good entertainment.  It is so full of half-truths, made up facts and outright lies that it's not possible to engage in an intelligent conversation about its content as anything other than a tragic comedy.

Title 26 is the law.  It's been repeatedly upheld by the courts.  End of discussion.

The 16th Amendment was properly ratified.  This has been upheld in the courts repeatedly for nearly a century.  End of discussion.

"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."  That's pretty explicit.  Wages are income and are taxable should Congress decide to do so.  And they have.  End of discussion.

Benson is an idiot, pure and simple.  Go ahead and try to raise his issues as a defense.  You'll be found in contempt for wasting the court's time and slapped with penalties as high as $25k, REGARDLESS of the outcome of the trial.  

Stop reading fairy tales and accepting them as fact.

Answer 6

Great idea!  And, with any luck, the folks who fall for this old chestnut will end up in a jail cell next to Wizek!  :-)

Answer 7

THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL I SAW THEM ON THE INTERNET:

Nobody ever really landed on the moon - it was a giant hoax. What you saw on TV was filmed in Utah.

Elvis is still alive, and performing marriage ceremonies in Las Vegas.

It is unconstitutional for the government to tax your wages (income tax), the 16th amendment was never ratified, and most of what we think of as income isn't really income anyway.

Excuse me now....I just won 2 million pounds in the online UK lottery when my email was randomly selected, and I have to go answer the email.....

;-}