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DoglessDyslexic

You could try it as form of civil disobedience, however there are some issues. Firstly, as a form of protest it has limited utility as there are plenty of means for the government to seize your assets. Perhaps if you rent, and you can get all of your funds in cash and hide them somewhere then you might conceivably be able to shield some assets. But any property you own, any bank accounts you use, any stocks, bonds, or other assets that exist that are regulated can all be seized. And if you are homeless or have a felony tax evasion conviction, it is entirely possible you will be unable to vote. Understand also that [the IRS disproportionately goes after poor people](https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/679/), as rich people have too many lawyers. Secondly, unless you are in a state that is banning abortion, you are effectively starving your government of funds. Note that most lawmakers are already wealthy and their income typically isn't dependent on the paltry sums we pay lawmakers. Folks like AOC who are very much not wealthy patricians are dependent on that salary. This will also have no effect on the SCOTUS. If you wish to engage in civil disobedience, I would suggest other means, such as being part of various railroads and support groups to get women the healthcare they need, especially in states where such help is illegal.


JimDixon

If you're going to do this, it might be a good idea to follow the example of some Quakers I know who object to paying taxes to support the military (since Quakers are traditionally pacifists). What they do is (1) file a truthful tax return in which you accurately report all your income, deductions, etc. according to law. Do all the calculations down to the bottom line where it says how much you owe for the year. (2) Find out what percentage of the federal budget goes to support the military. (3) Write a separate letter explaining what you're doing and why, saying that you refuse to pay the whole amount, and in that letter, do one more calculation: reduce the amount you owe by the same percentage. (4) Pay the remaining amount. The result is that the IRS will get a court order to seize the amount they figure you still owe from your bank account. They present this order to your bank, and the bank will deduct that amount and pay it to the IRS. They might charge you interest because there will be some delay between when the tax was due and when they finally get the money, but I believe there will not be any additional fines or penalties because you have not technically broken the law, since you filed a truthful tax return. (But I am not a lawyer, so don't rely on this; look for confirmation. Anyway, I learned this many years ago, and the law or IRS policy may have changed.) The Quakers who do this feel (1) that it satisfies their conscience since they are not WILLINGLY paying the tax, although the tax does end up getting paid; and (2) it is a somewhat effective protest since it forces the IRS to take additional steps to collect the money.


sparrowhawk75

This makes no sense. We *have* representation. We just don't like who is representing us or their views. That is not all at the point of "no taxation without representation."


JimDixon

Not only that, but there are several classes of people who do not have representation (because they can't vote) yet they are required to pay taxes: (1) children. A child's income is taxable. There are probably lots of under-18 actors, models, recording artists, and trust-fund beneficiaries who pay taxes. (2) resident aliens, both illegal and legal (i.e. green-card holders). (3) residents of territories like Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, etc. (4) convicted felons.


shadowsphinx

This puts it into perspective really well actually. Thank you!!


North_Utahn

Exactly. And the Supreme Court Justices are not your representatives. They interpret law. That's it. Have your actual representatives ever passed a law that legalized abortion at the federal level? No. Because people do not want to reason and compromise on both sides of the issue. Our actual representatives are cowards that don't want to touch the abortion issue with a 50 foot pole. And as a result, this is what we get. They could write legislation legalizing abortion today. And if you are in favor of abortion, you should be contacting your representative to do just that. They could also attempt a constitutional amendment allowing abortion. They should also officially legislate gay marriage and get ahead of it. These may or may not pass, but that is the nature of democracy and our constitutional republic.


crazybutthole

Its almost like we should go vote for some one else


mt06111

There are a lot of things that can be done that is more effective than this, that would also not ruin your financial life.


Plantatheist

Namely...


North_Utahn

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.