Feds asking judge to find anti-tax author in contempt; Schiff fails to turnover customer list

Associated Press ^ | 08-07-03

[Brian S]

Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to find anti-tax author Irwin Schiff in contempt of court for failing to turn over a customer list to the government.

Schiff, who contends that paying federal income taxes is voluntary, said the government got the list when agents raided his Las Vegas book store in February.

[AirmanAlaska]

I've heard about this, have mixed feelings on the subject.

I really don't think the feds have any business trying this man for criminality.

If they let the commies run newspapers calling for revolution, they can sure as hell let this man sell his opinion.

[Abe Froman]

Government employees apparently don't like it when their clamp on the public teat is put into question.

[grobdriver]

Schiff claims the government is violating his First Amendment right to free speech.

To hell with that. It's gone far beyond that.
If I simply emailed this guy, the feds are now looking at me?

[agitator]

This is about book banning, plain and simple.

[zeugma]

No. It is about Money and Power. These two interrelated things are the prime motivating agent in almost all government actions.

[agitator]

I agree, thought police are usually about money and power.

[nerdwithamachinegun]

Hell, I bought the damned book just for goofs! Now I is a crinimal!

[Almondjoy]

Correction.. in ALL of people's actions. Save some people who actually want to die with a soul still intact.

[Mr. Bird]

Turn yourself in. It's the right thing to do.

[Brian S]

You just better pray that "they" don't come up with a way to wrap the "war on terror" blanket around this.

Hell, you could end up being an "enemy combatant"... ;)

[nerdwithamachinegun]

I would if I knew who to get in touch with. I threw the book away once I'd gone through it. Following the material was very tough. It was mostly just anarchistic mumbo jumbo.

I'm all for not paying taxes, just not the way that this crazy old clown suggests going about it.
It seems like a better solution is to have the 16th(?) Ammendment struck down.

[nerdwithamachinegun]

>>>Hell, you could end up being an "enemy combatant"... ;)

But I'm a card carrying member of the vast right wing consparacy!!!

Seriously though, I was legitimately exempt from paying income tax while I worked in Germany on a DOD contract under the SOFA agreement. My piddly $34,000 a year went pretty far. Now that's almost what I pay in taxes.
I welcome IRS scrutiny as I saw how stupid Mr. Schiff's guidlines are and did not follow them.

[Lancey Howard]

This is a prime example of big government's jackbooted thugs run amok. There must really be something to Schiff's book (truth?) that has them scared.

[Tench_Coxe]

I'm waiting to see how many 'conservatives' think that having the Federal government go after people who may have bought Schiff's products is a 'good thing'.

[monkeywrench]

I agree. There have been a number of anti tax books written over the years, so, why the hysteria on this one? I'd love to read it to find out. Except, I guess curiousity these days might get one labeled terrorist or right-wing loner, or something to that effect.

[Mr. Bird]

There must really be something to Schiff's book (truth?) that has them scared.

He likely makes a convincing, if erroneous, argument. And that can lead to an awful lot of good people getting into a heap of tax trouble. I'm all for tax avoidance, through legal means. But I don't support some yahoo who tries to dupe a bunch of people to serve his ends, whether they are political or financial.

[kevkrom]

There must really be something to Schiff's book (truth?) that has them scared.

It's not truth, that's for sure. Schiff is a fraud who has failed to pay up on his challenge to prove that individuals are required to pay income taxes. That said, I don't think the feds have any right to access his customer or contact lists.

[Auntie Dem]

This is about book banning, plain and simple.

No, it's about stopping fraud. He promises people in his book he can get them legally exempt from paying taxes. He can't. His book is a fraud, he is taking people's money by making knowingly false statements.

If I were to publish a book promising you that if you bought it and followed my directions, you could turn tap water into gold, do you think I would be allowed to keep selling it after the first sucker filed a complaint against me?

[Tench_Coxe]

So, do you agree that the government should be able to go after his customers as well?