THE IRS MUST GO
This week Z Street v. IRS was settled. Most of the media ignored it but the Wall Street Journal printed an Op-Ed by Lori Lowenthal Marcus, its executive director. Ms. Marcus started Z Street in 2009 to educate people about the struggles Israel is having with terrorism. In December of 2009, she applied to the IRS for tax-exempt status.
Ms. Marcus said that instead of the normal three to six months, it was taking longer and when her attorney asked the IRS, an agent said that the application was slowed because it was related to Israel. Z Street sued the IRS in August of 2010 for violating their constitutional rights and for discrimination.
During the suit, Z Street learned:
- Because of the connection to Israel, the IRS needed to investigate whether Z Street was funding terror.
- Three other Jewish organizations applying for tax-exempt status were asked by the IRS to “explain their religious beliefs about the Land of Israel.”
Ms. Marcus believed the evidence clearly showed that this IRS scrutiny was directly related to the Obama policy of opposing some policies of Israel. Ms. Marcus has warned that if these people are allowed to continue to act without regard to our laws, that the boxcars carrying people to concentration camps will not just contain Jews but all of the rest of us who dared have an opinion our rulers didn't like.
Attorney General Sessions Press Release
In his press release announcing the IRS had settled the Z Street case and other similar IRS abuse cases the Attorney General said:
- “Tax exemption eligibility should be based on whether an organization’s activities fulfill requirements of the law, not a group’s policy positions or the name chosen to reflect those views,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman. “The attorneys at the Department of Justice work hard to ensure that all Americans receive equal treatment under the law. Today’s settlement further illustrates this commitment.”
- “Chief Justice John Marshall wrote 'that the power to tax involves the power to destroy … [is] not to be denied.' And it should also be without question that our First Amendment prohibits the federal government from treating groups differently based solely on their viewpoint or ideology.”
- "But it is now clear that during the last Administration, the IRS began using inappropriate criteria to screen applications for 501(c) status. These criteria included names such as “Tea Party,” “Patriots,” or “9/12” or policy positions concerning government spending or taxes, education of the public to “make America a better place to live,” or statements criticizing how the country was being run. It is also clear these criteria disproportionately impacted conservative groups.”
- “As a result of these criteria, the IRS transferred hundreds of applications to a specifically designated group of IRS agents for additional levels of review, questioning and delay. In many instances, the IRS then requested highly sensitive information from applicants such as donor information that was not needed to make a determination of tax-exempt status.”
- "The IRS’s use of these criteria as a basis for heightened scrutiny was wrong and should never have occurred. It is improper for the IRS to single out groups for different treatment based on their names or ideological positions. Any entitlement to tax exemption should be based on the activities of the organization and whether they fulfill requirements of the law, not the policy positions adopted by members or the name chosen to reflect those views.”
- “There is no excuse for this conduct. Hundreds of organizations were affected by these actions, and they deserve an apology from the IRS. We hope that today’s settlement makes clear that this abuse of power will not be tolerated.”
Conclusion
While it is comforting to see our Attorney General speaking forcefully about the wrong behavior of the IRS, it is also telling that there is no mention of anyone losing their jobs or being subject to other punishment. We know Lois Lerner was forced to retire, but we also know that she continues to receive her nice pension.
It is like the defense of the prison guards at the Nazi death camps, "We were only following orders." These people are all protected by their superiors on the condition that they follow the rule of all disreputable enterprises--keep your mouth shut. Take your punishment but keep your mouth shut and we will take care of you. It is even easier for their superiors since it is our money they are spending.
On February 6, 1911, President Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. He was the 40th president of the United States. His policies led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the freedom of millions of people. It is well that as we look at the actions of the Swamp that we recall these words of President Reagan:
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
We can never, ever give up if we want to save our country from the Swamp and the actions of people who believe that the rest of us are not capable of making decisions for ourselves. For the sake our children and grandchildren, we have to take the way we fund our government out of the hands of the Swamp and pass the FAIRTAX!
The truth is the truth. Remember, if we don't continue to tell the truth and demand a change, then this quote from George Orwell's 1984 may foretell our children's future:
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”
WHAT CAN EACH OF US DO
Call up the local or D.C. offices of your House Member and two Senators and you can use the following script:
- I am sure that Representative ____ or Senator ____ is in favor of everyone obeying the income tax laws.
- After they assure you that their boss is not in favor of anyone breaking the law, ask if they are aware of the Cebula study showing $9 trillion of evaded income/payroll taxes over the next ten years.
- Since most will say they don’t believe their boss has seen the study, either drop off a copy or get an email address and send a copy to them for their boss.
- Say you are going to call back in a week and ask what the Representative or Senator is going to do to stop this evasion.
- In a week, call back and ask specifically what the Representative or Senator is going to do to enforce the law.
- They probably will say their boss believes that simplifying the income tax will handle the problem.
- Explain that when people evade income taxes, they are also evading the 15.3% payroll/Medicare tax and state income tax. So it is unlikely that they are going to pay 30% or 40% when they were paying 0% because they have already decided it is okay to cheat.
- Say that the only way to reduce evasion is to increase by tens or hundreds of thousands the number of comprehensive IRS audits done each year.
- Point out that Evaders do not self-identify by putting an “E” on their income tax return.
- 80% of the people likely to be audited are trying to comply, but they will be forced to endure these IRS audits as well.
- Ask if the Member is in favor of this?
- If they say no, then ask again how the Member proposes to stop people breaking the income tax laws.
- Then explain that the way to handle evasion without unleashing the IRS audits is the FAIRtax.
If you can see your Member or attend a town hall and ask these questions, you can be even more effective.
THE STATE OF TAXATION IN AMERICA - IS TERRIBLE!
FAIRTAX POWER RADIO EPISODE #95
Since the President recently gave the State of the Union address to the nation, The FAIRtax Guys demand equal time! OK, our podcast is not an hour and a half long, but we will demonstrate that the State of Taxation in the U. S. is terrible and getting worse all the time. Evasion - growing every year. Complexity - getting worse every year. I D Theft - afflicting more people every year. So what is the answer? Listen to this episode to see if we answer that question. Make Taxes Fair Again!
Calling all Democrats! In last week’s episode, The FAIRtax Guys reminded everyone that the FAIRtax is nonpartisan. Furthermore, only the FAIRtax has features that meet the goals of both political parties. Using the document “Top Ten Reasons Why Democrats Should Strongly Support the FAIRtax,” found on the fairtax.org website (https://fairtax.org/research-library/demographics), we addressed the concerns of the Democrat party even though no Democrats are currently cosponsoring HR 25, the FAIRtax. Maybe after this episode, that will change.
HELP THE FAIRTAX GUYS EDUCATE OTHERS ABOUT REAL TAX REFORM. Telling your friends and relatives about our free weekly podcasts is a great way to help us garner more support. It is the American people who must demand REAL tax reform in Congress. We must inform America about the FAIRtax! Please help us.
You can listen to FTPR on any platform - Mac or PC, iPhone or Android. And it’s 100% free.
Listen on Spreaker.com (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes (http://apple.co/1Te8VdF) or iHeart Radio (http://bit.ly/2eqEG7y) on your computer or smartphone. The easiest way to listen to FTPR on your smartphone is by downloading the free FTPR app. Just search for “FAIRtax Power Radio” in your app store, download the app and start listening. If you have trouble finding our free app, download the free Spreaker app.
We post a new episode every Friday morning. Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio.
The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It!
AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION - AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FAIRTAX
America’s Big Solution is a basic introduction to the FAIRtax and is meant for people of any age. Do you know someone who would like an introduction to the FAIRtax and would prefer to read about it rather than search online for Tweets, Posts and Shares? If so, America’s Big Solution is your choice.
America’s Big Solution is an introduction to the FAIRtax written by Terry Tibbetts, author of A Spartan Game: The Life and Loss of Don Holleder, with help from Ron Maiellaro, President of the Florida FAIRtax Educational Association.
You can buy an electronic version of ABS as follows: AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION is available for only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle (http://amzn.to/1WIRHry), the Barnes & Noble Nook (http://bit.ly/1XeG8bH) and Apple iOS (http://apple.co/1tnqK0P).
You can purchase a print copy at the same Amazon link above for $9.25. Regardless of whether you choose the electronic format or the print format, you’ll find AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION will give someone the boost they need to begin their study of the FAIRtax and the suggested resources to learn more. Buy AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION now!
LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION
These links will help you promote and support the FAIRtax, make yourself familiar with the links below. We always do our best to keep our AFFT community up to date, and you can stay ahead of the curve using these convenient sites.
- The website of Americans for Fair Taxation (www.fairtax.org)
- Read the Summary of the Evasion Study.
- Welcome to the Online FAIRtax Community (member.fairtax.org)
- The website at which you can help make it happen. (www.bigsolution.org)
- The Facebook page for Americans for Fair Taxation
- The Facebook page for The FAIRtax Guys
- The Twitter page for Americans for Fair Taxation
- PopVox - Connecting people and lawmakers for more effective participation and better governing
- YouTube channel for AFFT
- The Official FAIRtax Logo Store (www.fairtaxlogostore.org)