Posted on 07/06/2018 2:55:43 PM PDT by Theoria
IRS officials provide new details on enforcement of law Congress passed in late 2015
At least 362,000 Americans with overdue tax debts will be denied new or renewed passports if they dont settle these debts, the Internal Revenue Service says.
Recently IRS officials have provided new details on the enforcement of a law Congress passed in late 2015. It requires the IRS and State Department to deny passports or revoke them for taxpayers who have more than $51,000 of overdue tax debt. Enforcement began in February.
An IRS spokesman says the 362,000 people are current tax debtors who are affected by the law. The IRS is sending their names in batches to the State Department, a process the tax agency aims to finish by years end. A State Department spokesman confirmed that it has already denied passports to some debtors.
IRS Division Commissioner Mary Beth Murphy said in late June that for now U.S. authorities are denying passports rather than revoking them. So, many tax debtors with current passports should be able to travel abroad, but they wont be able to renew their passports; those without passports will be denied them if they apply.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Yes, I think the only way they should be able to restrict your freedom of movement is if you are convicted of something.
“One of the fundamental rights in a free state is the right to leave, or so I thought.”
You can leave anytime you want to, but if you don’t have a passport you will have to illegally break into Mexico or Canada. Mexico sure as hell will not accept you without a passport.
How about just until fed employees pay THEIR taxes.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/05/22/congress-irs-tax-delinquencies/9442749/
.
This law reminds me of the game the Soviets would play, saying that people wanting to leave had to compensate the State for a lifetime of educational and social services. In other words, they couldn’t leave.
The IRS employs many who have not paid their taxes.
This is a stupid and, Id wager, unconstitutional law and this far oversteps federal powers. Before the income tax debacle the fed could only levy taxes on the states themselves and they, in turn, on corporations, farms, land-use etc;
The right of free passage was unrestricted.
The IRS can easily freeze assets and garnish wages if taxes are unpaid and I fully support that. Pulling a passport because you owe the IRS (especially now that its been politicized) is a disaster waiting to happen and if left unchecked this will expand to drivers licenses as states scramble for income and then revocation of licenses for unpaid taxes.
Hell.
No.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-07-05/exposing-boiling-frog-american-police-state
But, in addition to the above insight, theres another very significant lesson to be learned here. Historically, whenever a government is instituting the transition into a collectivist state, one of the early warnings is a limitation on travel outside the country (getting the people used to the idea that they dont have a right to leave). The US has now reached that point. The next development will be to teach them that, by travelling outside of the country, they are automaticallysuspect. The implication will be money laundering, drug trafficking, or terrorist activities.
this is discrimanatory and benefits illegal and legal immigrants who don’t have us passports...
what happens if they owe over 50 k in taxes what if they never filed returns?
unintended consequences punishes only citizens...
Well, it was just a random thought. ;^)
Owing taxes and trying to leave the country is kind of like trying to ‘walk the check’.
There are LOTS of deadbeats, who just don't bother to pay/file.
Thank you, Massa Øbama!
Maybe some of them don't pay taxes because they know there is no law requiring people who exchange their labor for money to pay income taxes.
What if there is no legal requirement to pay/file?
They check you when you get a fishing or hunting license in Washington state if you owe child support. Same if I hire somebody - I need to submit their name to the Social Service people - and then they run it over to Unemployment and workers’s comp.
We don’t really own our property either, and they seize our assets when we die.
Land of the free?
I’m not clear on your reasoning.
If a peron owes taxes, why should they have the right to procure government services, like getting a passport?
I don’t go anywhere anyway.
“Land of the free”? No one ever said you could live in it for nothing.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.