Would Ron Paul pardon tax evaders?

[John T. Kennedy]

I've seen Ron Paul call for the abolition of the IRS and I've seen him liken tax evaders to Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Would Ron Paul issue a blanket amnesty (by pardon) for all income tax evaders, as Carter did for draft evaders?

 

[OptionsTrader]

Just a guess: yes.

 

[John T. Kennedy]

Just a guess: yes.

Such a pardon would efectively cripple the IRS, wouldn't it? Everyone could stop paying income taxes since they couldn't be prosecuted.

How about taking this approach to the payment of other federal taxes and fees?

 

[LinkClan]

Sure

The recovery costs could be easily made up with the unnecessary congress expenditures!

 

[paulpwns]

Such a pardon would efectively cripple the IRS, wouldn't it? Everyone could stop paying income taxes since they couldn't be prosecuted.

How about taking this approach to the payment of other federal taxes and fees?

Effectively yes, and well honestly its within constitutional limits.

 

[LinkClan]

Define evasion!

 

[Perry]

I've seen Ron Paul call for the abolition of the IRS and I've seen him liken tax evaders to Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Would Ron Paul issue a blanket amnesty (by pardon) for all income tax evaders, as Carter did for draft evaders?

Remember Ron Paul believes in following the law. He would however work to change the law yet he would enforce the law. The idea that everyone might immediately stop paying taxes under a Paul administration and therefor the nation would collapse is rather ridiculous. This question has been answered here in depth many times before. Try using the search feature it is very helpful.

 

[paulpwns]

Ron also said that he would use executive orders but only to repeal previous orders.
Government could get much smaller without those.

 

[Alex Libman]

For my own sake I really hope so...

 

[John T. Kennedy]

Remember Ron Paul believes in following the law. He would however work to change the law yet he would enforce the law.

Would he enforce unconstitutional laws? If the government has gone far beyond it's constitutional limits, as Paul claims, then wouldn't he be obliged (by his vow to defend the constitution) to pardon citizens threatened by unconstitutional acts of government?

And issuing a pardon *is* following the law, the constitution clearly gives the President this power.

 

[John T. Kennedy]

Effectively yes, and well honestly its within constitutional limits.

So the President has the constitutional power to deprive the Congress of all funding?

 

[acroso]

Paul

Paul will jail the agents breaking down doors and such. They have no authority to be doing that.

 

[John T. Kennedy]

Define evasion!

I really mean non-payment for any reason.

 

[Gilby]

I really mean non-payment for any reason.

That doesn't define evasion.

The fact is that the income tax is lawful, but it is not being applied lawfully. It does not apply to people working in the private sector. It only applies to people who are engaged in privileged activities, meaning those that receive an income from using the powers and property of the government. It's an excise tax on this use of their powers and the way they determine the amount of the tax is by using income. For example, I could tax someone that uses my property. Let's say I allow someone to set up a lemonade stand on my property. I could then tax them using their income as a means to calculate their "rent" or tax.

Tax evasion means not paying a tax that is lawfully owed. Whereas tax avoidance means not engaging in any activity that would impose a tax on you. Most people do not engage in activities that would impose a tax on them.

Ron Paul will hopefully pardon everyone that was convicted of tax evasion, but did not owe any tax, which is probably most of those convicted. Those that do owe a tax should not be pardoned.

 

[John T. Kennedy]

Ron Paul will hopefully pardon everyone that was convicted of tax evasion, but did not owe any tax, which is probably most of those convicted.

This would open the door for the over whelming majority of Americans to stop paying income tax since they couldn't be prosecuted, wouldn't it?

 

[Gilby]

This would open the door for the over whelming majority of Americans to stop paying income tax since they couldn't be prosecuted, wouldn't it?

Sure would. When people find out that they have no tax obligation, why would they want to continue to pay into an oppressive regime?

 

[John T. Kennedy]

Sure would. When people find out that they have no tax obligation, why would they want to continue to pay into an oppressive regime?

Most people wouldn't even pay for a regime they liked if the didn't have to.

 

[nickcoons]

So the President has the constitutional power to deprive the Congress of all funding?

The income tax does not provide "all funding" to Congress. It doesn't even provide half of the funding they receive.

 

[John T. Kennedy]

The income tax does not provide "all funding" to Congress. It doesn't even provide half of the funding they receive.

True but my point was that the power to pardon isn't restricted to income tax evasion. The president has the constitutional power to block all funding to congress by pardoning those who decline to pay any federal tax or fee.

 

[nickcoons]

True but my point was that the power to pardon isn't restricted to income tax evasion. The president has the constitutional power to block all funding to congress by pardoning those who decline to pay any federal tax or fee.

As I understand it, pardoning can only be done to relieve someone of a criminal activity. Ultimately, if you don't pay your income taxes, you are thrown in prison as a criminal.

But this isn't true of all taxes. Many taxes are not paid to the federal government by an individual directly, they are excise taxes collected by a private entity and paid to the government. For instance, the taxes you pay on your phone bill.. if you don't pay those, you won't go to prison, but you will lose your phone service. So a President couldn't pardon anyone for not paying these excise taxes, because there is nothing to pardon.

So no, I don't think a President could block all of Congress' funding via pardons. I don't know what the percentage would be, but I would think that the income tax would make up the bulk of what can be pardonable.