Americans Are Stiffing The IRS To Protest Trump

[TexasTowelie]

The week after Donald Trump's inauguration, Abby, a 37-year-old filmmaker, was sitting at home with her young son in Portland, Oregon, growing increasingly frustrated watching the news. As executive orders started flying out of the White House, Abby felt something more drastic was called for than her family's regular donations to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. She pulled out her phone and fired off a text message to her tax preparer in Brooklyn: "Hey, what if we don't pay our federal taxes? Are other people considering this?"

Tax resistance as a form of protest has been around as long as taxes themselves, gaining particular notoriety during the 1960s, when hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have refused to pay at least some taxes in protest of the Vietnam War. Trump himself seemed to endorse the tactic during the first presidential debate, when he parried a charge from Hillary Clinton that he hadn't paid federal income taxes for years with, "It would be squandered, too, believe me."

With that proud tax-dodger now in office, more Americans like Abby (who asked that her name be changed for fear of legal consequences) are considering not paying their taxes, either. These protestors are split in their goals: Some say they hope to vote with their dollars to remove support from the Trump administration, the federal government version of the #DeleteUber campaign. Others say they don't expect it to have a tangible effect — the government can always print more money (something Trump has already mentioned doing, however flippantly) or borrow from foreign lenders — and instead see their refusal as a form of nonviolent resistance.

For Abby, she thinks withholding cold, hard cash may be the only thing Trump responds to at this point. "Donald Trump is a businessman, right?" she pointed out. "If we start getting incredibly intentional with every nickel and dime, that is more effective than anything else we can do."

Read more: http://www.villagevoice.com/news/americans-are-stiffing-the-irs-to-protest-trump-9766905

[Lucinda]

1. I suspect that many will want to do this

don't know how many will follow though though...

[pinboy3niner]

4. Actually very few, I think

This is not anywhere near the top priorities of the resistance movement.

[KingCharlemagne]

18. If you don't want your labor funding the splitting up

of immigrant families or the registering of Muslims, it seems like a logical resistance tactic, though.

Is there a 'resistance movement'?

[WillowTree]

2. She might as well shoot herself and expect Donald Trump to bleed.

[caroldansen]

3. That would not be a good idea because then they would have to pay interest and penalties.

Trump wouldn't even know about it. So their message would not get through to him. Don't risk
losing more money. You should always pay your taxes.

[fun n serious]

7. There are ways of getting the interest and penalties removed. nt

[Duppers]

8. Exactly! Very dumb idea.

Unless you have tax lawyers who set up tax havens for you, you must pay now or pay more later.

[Cha]

5. That sounds dangerous for them.. best way to protest the

drooling fascist is to Vote in 2018 and 2020.. and let your Congress people know constantly exactly what you think of the small minded dictator.

[fun n serious]

6. They're doing it, just not talking about it.

We changed our filing status to EXEMPT at our jobs and are putting the money in a separate account planning to pay it in 4 years.

[WillowTree]

11. Save up for the penalties you'll pay in 4 years, too. Then again, what if he gets re-elected?

Yeah, I know. They said it couldn't possibly happen this time, too.

[FBaggins]

12. How do you expect that to play out?

Are you going to fail to file (a crime)... Or give fake information (a crime)... Or file truthful information and say "come and get me"?

The false w4 is already a crime (up to $100k and a year in prison)

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. Writing "Exempt" on your W-4 does NOT DO ANYTHING....

To relieve or reduce your tax liability

All the W-4 form does is tell the employer how much to withhold.

It is not necessarily reported to the IRS, but as mentioned above, supplying false information on the W-4 is against the law. What really matters is the W-2 form that is filed and if that shows taxable income and no withholding, then you will owe the taxes in full by April 15th

Play with such things at your peril

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p505/ch01.html


Edited for accuracy and to add link

[kimbutgar]

9. I brought my turbo tax, got my info together but somehow haven't been motivated to do them

I am so disgusted I am waiting until the last minute.

[world wide wally]

10. They take the taxes out of your paycheck. Then it is up to us to get them back

The opposite of inncnet until proven gulity

[Princess Turandot]

13. She may be self-employed, paying in her taxes herself based upon a quarterly calculation...

She could also have a reasonable amount of investment income, which is not usually tax-withheld upfront.

Or if she gets a pay check from someone, she could have submitted an employee withholding form to her employer claiming that no taxes should be withheld because she does not expect to have a tax liability. She could also have claimed more exemptions/deduction allowances than she actually would claim on her tax return. One signs that form under threat of perjury but I don't know if the IRS ever charges folks with that if you ultimately pay your full tax and penalties by April 15.

[Renew Deal]

14. He doesn't care and it's just going to cause her more headaches.

[Achilleaze]

15. the republican role model sets a piss-poor example

of what an honorable citizen of the USA should be like.

But republicans submissively fall to their knees to kiss his flabby, lying draft-&-tax-doding man-butt.

Sad.

[The Big Ragu]

16. As understaffed as the IRS is,

they will still work like a motherfucker to get your money. And they will get it.

[Hoyt]

17. That will just make the GOPers cut more services out of the budget. Better ways to protest.

[KingCharlemagne]

19. Like what? - nt

[jmg257]

20. Hey why not? With 25% of ur $$ going to

Health services, and another 24% going to socail security, makes sense to just keep it.

"indeed, the largest chunk of tax money — 25 percent — goes to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health subsidies, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; 24 percent goes to Social Security; defense/security comes in third with 16 percent."