The mandate was always a central issue of the law. If I remember right, Justice Roberts said it was not a tax, but a fine, and legally that made all the difference.
Non-enforcement of laws is a sticky topic. In principle, all laws are to be enforced. But there are so many laws that our judicial system may not be able to enforce them all, and must prioritize. That may have been a rational for non-enforcement of anti-sodomy laws in some states.
In my view, Obama was not enforcing immigration laws. Border security was the lowest priority?
I was feeling a little queasy about non-enforcement in this case. Was Trump over-reaching and putting his own Presidency in jeopardy? I’m encouraged by the following correction to the article:
“Correction: The IRS did not reject silent returns last year, as this story originally indicated. The plan was to go into effect this year, for 2016 returns, but the IRS reversed course on February 3. Reason regrets the error.”
OK. So the IRS has not rejected silent returns in any year of the Obama Presidency. Why start now? I don’t see Trump getting impeached over this. Nor is it likely that any tax payer will get in trouble over this.
This is the best first step President Trump can take at this time. I hope the law will be changed to remove the mandate.
Quoting myself:
“Justice Roberts said it was not a tax, but a fine.”
Did I get that backwards?
Either way, the mandate is a big deal at both the personal and national level. I’m happy to see it go.