serious question.

1  2018-07-03 by Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw

what would happen if the majority of america decided not to pay their income taxes? like a protest, for example.

i mean like millions and millions of people. more than the amount of fillable jail cells. and an amount more than the courts could handle

not advocating for this obviously but was curious about what the government would do if a huge amount of people committed a “jailable offense” at the same time.

26 comments

1  kamspy 2018-07-03

The majority of America has a negative tax rate. Boom.

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

a lot of people have to pay in though, that’s mostly what i meant.

1  kamspy 2018-07-03

That's basically Atlas Shrugged then.

1  truthzealot 2018-07-03

Are you assuming that because most American's get a refund that they have a negative rate? Please say no.

1  venCiere 2018-07-03

Just the 1%

1  Apolitical_Corrector 2018-07-03

I suspect that the IRS would go after employers, forcing them to withhold X% of all wages until the "revolt" was quashed.

Big corporations would play ball with the IRS, and smaller companies that didn't would be squashed like bugs - in a high-profile manner, until the public was terrorized into submission.

That would be my guess.

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

damn the futures fucking bleak. how’d we let it get this way?

1  Apolitical_Corrector 2018-07-03

how’d we let it get this way?

The short answer: Gullibility and lethargy.

But I'll defer to T.J. to expand on that thought, as he provided a better answer than I ever could. [emphasis is MINE. Mind the ellipses -- full quote at link]

The people can not be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty [...] What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.

-- -- Letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 13 November 1787

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-12-02-0348

Preserving rights and freedom is NOT a part time job, and it is certainly not one that sheep should delegate to wolves.

That's how we got this way.

1  MamaBare 2018-07-03

So like you know how our infrastructure is crumbling and our teachers never shut the fuck up about not being paid enough or having supplies?

Now imagine slashing the budgets for those things in half.

Without tax collection, America would hit some pretty hard times.

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

yeah cause a 645 billion defense budget or whatever it’s up to now, is appropriate. couldn’t cut that to pave the roads or buy some crayons. not even one dollar.

1  MamaBare 2018-07-03

16% of the budget is about on par with the rest of the world's defense spending.

1  ailhadkcalb 2018-07-03

Absolutely it is not.

1  MamaBare 2018-07-03

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS?end=2017&start=2017&view=map&year_high_desc=false

Facts is scary!

1  ailhadkcalb 2018-07-03

? Nowhere does it show that 16% is the norm on that.

1  1-800-GOFUCKYOURSELF 2018-07-03

What would happen is millions would now be part of the one percent already not paying their income taxes.

1  Putin_loves_cats 2018-07-03

Nothing would happen, tbh. Our taxes only go to pay off the debt incurred from the FED (which is a scam - it's being laundered to the City of London - Switzerland - Vatican). Even if you cut them off from that small amount, the Government is still a Corporation with investments and profits. Look into what CAFRs are, for an example.

TL;DR: We're fucked, and have always been fucked. You're a slave who thinks your free, Neo.

1  1-800-GOFUCKYOURSELF 2018-07-03

What would most likely happen is, millions of Americans would now have a self sustainable income.

1  boxingnun 2018-07-03

How about this for a crazy idea: allow citizens to dictate (maybe twice a year?) where a percentage of their income taxes are spent.

I have often thought about what might happen should say 2 or 3 whole states worth of people withheld their federal income tax. I think it could ultimately lead to the dissolution of the US because the feds would eventually turn to violence to collect up. Issues with money/finances are the surest way to divide people.

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

i’m an avid believer the people should decide where their money is going. i don’t want to play a part in funding the exploration of people’s and resources and preemptive strikes of war.

it’s the people’s money, they should decide what to fund based on what’s important to them. i bet if that happened there’d be a lot less people supporting these endless wars instead of the government deciding that’s what we should spend our money on, since they’re the ones making the mistakes.

it shouldn’t be called defense spending anymore. it’s definitely offensive now.

1  boxingnun 2018-07-03

I agree, but the real question is how we could implement a system by which the people have a direct say in how their tax money is spent. The current system would not be amenable to such a change.

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

The whole out of control cesspool we call a government needs to be disbanded and a replacement started from scratch. the loopholes and the “legalese” and confusing legal jargon and 3000 page bills needs to stop. the system has done nothing but perpetuate itself for power and control grabs. it’s fucking ridiculous that people allow more and more regulation and governmental interference when all it’s done is create this tyrannical blood thirsty monster.

1  Yellowtag1 2018-07-03

It would stop and nothing would happen. Because modern slavery requires consent. You have to participate in your enslavement.

1  AFuckYou 2018-07-03

What would happen if we made our own imaginary currency and it caught on. Like bitcoin for example.

O, sorry IRS, i made no USD currency this year. All i have are schmeckels. Sorry.

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

schmeckels. i could get behind that

1  RussianInternetTroll 2018-07-03

What would happen if every American rejected plea deals?

1  Yhwnehwerehwtahwohw 2018-07-03

what would happen if every american serving on jury duty just said not guilty(in most non-serious cases) because you don’t support the system?

1  Apolitical_Corrector 2018-07-03

how’d we let it get this way?

The short answer: Gullibility and lethargy.

But I'll defer to T.J. to expand on that thought, as he provided a better answer than I ever could. [emphasis is MINE. Mind the ellipses -- full quote at link]

The people can not be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions it is a lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty [...] What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.

-- -- Letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 13 November 1787

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-12-02-0348

Preserving rights and freedom is NOT a part time job, and it is certainly not one that sheep should delegate to wolves.

That's how we got this way.