The Assertion: Do American Citizens Require by Laws to Pay Income Taxes?

The most common misconception about tax protesters is that there is no actual legislation that requires people to pay income taxes. When asked why they should file a tax return and pay taxes, tax protesters commonly reply, “If only someone would show me the legislation that states that I have to do it, then I would plead to do it.”

As the end of the tax year is coming to an end, however, some social media users are sharing videos about the claims that Americans have no legal obligation to pay taxes.

According to the video, which appears to have been created on TikTok, Americans are not required by law to pay income taxes. More than 3,000 people shared one version of the video that was posted on Facebook on November 19. Three individuals described as former Internal Revenue Service agents are interviewed in the video.

The original TikTok video from November 19 received over 100,000 likes. The assertion has been extensively circulated on Facebook and Instagram in various forms.

The Tiktok video owner stated in the video that he was surprised that the highly trained and decorated former IRS agents told him that there was no law requiring American citizens to pay income tax on their labor.

However, the assertion is untrue. As reported from official sources, the 16th Amendment grants Congress the authority to collect federal income taxes. The IRS has been given the authority to enforce these tax regulations, and individuals who fail to file their taxes face severe penalties.

The Facebook user who shared the post was contacted by USA TODAY for the comment but the TikTok user was unable to be reached.

The video clip is from Aaron Russo’s 2006 documentary “America: Freedom to Fascism.” According to the movie’s description on Cosmo Learning, it examines conspiracies across the IRS, digital vote casting machines, Big Brother, and the alleged use of terrorism with the aid of using the US authorities to limit individuals’ liberties.

Russo ­­­­­is an expert that once interviewed Irwin Schiff for his film. Irwin Schiff was sentenced to 163 months in prison in 2006 for the reason of tax fraud and contempt of court based on the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition, Schiff was ordered to complete three more years of supervised release and pay $4.2 million in reparations.

Vernice Kuglin, who was acquitted of six counts of tax fraud in 2003, was another individual interviewed in the movie. According to a fact-checking document provided by the American Bar Association, there have been false assertions made concerning IRS enforcement and taxes on Americans. Between 1993 and 2001, Kuglin had not submitted any income tax filings.

In accordance with a journal article written by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils, Kuglin settled with the IRS in 2004 to pay more than $500,000 in unpaid taxes and penalties despite being exonerated.

But still, there are laws that require Americans to pay income taxes.

On the report of the National Archives and Records Administration, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1913, established Congress’ right to collect federal income taxes.

Also, according to the booklet titled “Why Do I Have To Pay To Pay?” published by the Title 26 IRS of the United States, the Code mandates Congress to delegate the enforcement of these tax laws (known as the Internal Revenue Code) to her IRS. can. For example, Section 6702 of the Internal Revenue Code allows the IRS to impose a fine of $5,000 on anyone who submits “unsubstantiated” tax documents, the pamphlet says. The term “frivolous” in this case refers to “a desire to delay or impede the enforcement of federal tax laws.”As long as your income is above a certain level, you are responsible for filing returns, determining the correct amount of tax, and paying it.

IRS added that those who do not file their tax returns on time must also pay a fine. The penalty is 5% of unpaid taxes for each month of late filing, with interest accruing over time.

According to our research, the claim that there are no laws forcing American people to pay income taxes is FALSE. The 16th Amendment empowers Congress to levy federal income taxes. The IRS has been given the authority to enforce these tax regulations, and individuals who fail to file their taxes face severe penalties. These penalties are backed by the 26 U.S. Code, Section 6651.