Judge Issues Ban on Tax Rebel's Book

AP via Lycos.com ^ | 03/20/2003

[GeneD]

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A federal judge ordered a man who claims that tax paying is voluntary in the United States to stop selling his book and giving seminars.

Irwin Schiff is the author of "The Federal Mafia: How It Illegally Imposes and Unlawfully Collects Income Taxes," and offers paid seminars on the topic. Schiff said the judge's temporary order violates his First Amendment rights.

"Banning a book! The government is trying to prevent me from telling the truth about the income tax," the 75-year-old said Thursday.

Department of Justice lawyer Evan Davis said Schiff advised people to file false income tax returns listing zero income and zero liability, and had 3,100 clients attempting to evade $56 million in taxes. Davis called it one of the largest tax scams in U.S. history.

The judge issued the temporary order against Schiff on Wednesday and will decide April 7 whether to make it permanent.

[Commander8]

Once again a federal judge takes the law into his own hands and becomes a dictator in a black robe.

[The Old Hoosier]

Are you kidding? This guy is clearly inciting people to break the law. I didn't think it could go on for too long.

[drypowder]

I guess the First Ammendment only applies if you agree with the government's point of view. Liberty or death????

[agitator]

It might be clear if you were able to *read it first.*

[tahiti]

A crooked judge, and I do not use that term lightly, has made virtually the same decision against Thurston Bell.

For a complete description of Thurston's courageous work, visit www.nite.org.

It is worth your time.

[The Old Hoosier]

Just look at his advertising! It's a total scam. You can't write books that actually incite people to commit fraud!

[RJCogburn]

He may be a crackpot, but we have the right to say crackpot things in this country...or used to.

[VRWC_minion]

The guy is scum. His description of court orders is likely full of crap. I suggest the wary get a copy of the order before assuming anything Irwin claims a court order says.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

bump

[MindBender26]

It's starting.

Every year about this time, the "Buy my book & Don't pay income tax" scammers show up on FR.

Yes he was inciting them to break the law, No, there is no Constitutional guarantee of COMMERCIAL free speech (You can't claim your new pill will make people lose 100 pounds in a week, or give your car 180 MPG, or pay no income tax....)

The best part is that these no-tax promotion scammers usually file a very clean, standard deduction return, so they avoid going to jail themselves.

[Cultural Jihad]

Crackpot speech? Maybe so, but inciting people to commit fraud is not a protected speech. Only liberals try to shirk their personal responsibilities.

[The Old Hoosier]

Of course you can say crackpot things. But I'm pretty sure there has never been a first amendment right to encourage people to break the law. And it's definitely illegal to charge people money in order to tell them to break the law.

[jimkress]

It's interesting to note that the Judiciary has refused to act in political campaign cases where participants knowingly lie about their opponent. However in this case, where the Judge's salary is imperiled, dishonesty becomes a national threat.

What a bunch of hypocrites!

[Hildy]

But it's not fraud because he claims that it is against the law to do what the government does. Apparently, there is some validity to it if the government is so hellbent on stopping this guy. I've heard him on the radio. He's very persuasive.

[VRWC_minion]

The man and those like him need to be stopped. He is a whore selling to people that don't know he is a prostitute and don't know that they are breaking the law.

[SUSSA]

A few years ago Mark Davis had Irwin and an attorney and a tax accountant on his radio show here in Dallas. Neither the attorney nor the accountant could refute what Irwin said except to say that the courts would never agree with him.

It was a great hour and a half of radio. At one point the lawyer blurted out that the law is whatever the courts say it is. That was when I realized that it isn’t Irwin who is doing anything wrong it is the government.

I forget all the points Irwin made, but it was fun listening to him trip those guys up.

[Always A Marine]

At one point the lawyer blurted out that the law is whatever the courts say it is. That was when I realized...

Sadly, that is the truth. While I have no opinion about the claims of Irwin Schiff, I have learned the sad truth that it is our judges who really make our laws -- if only by which of them and how they are enforced...

[The Old Hoosier]

Don't be so gullible.

[MindBender26]

He's very persuasive.

So were Hitler, Lenin and Charles Manson