I know multiple people who stopped paying taxes to “protest Obama” back in the day. At first it will seem like you got away with it. The only reason I know they did it is because they were quite proud and boastful of it. It may even take years before it becomes an issue, but by the time it does, it’s a monster of a problem. Headache after headache, lawyers and legal fees (in some cases), and always a much worse financial hit than if they’d just paid up initially. Ironically, their problems with the IRS didn’t even begin until Trump’s first time when they were “caught”.
It’s simply a bad idea. Right now it might seem like a reasonable gamble. Starve the beast. And they don’t have enough people working in the IRS to handle this any more.
But, don’t worry. Just like everything else out of this administration, they’ll selectively target political opponents, Democrats, and minorities.
But also, for most people, not paying taxes isn’t really an option. There are ways (as others mentioned) to minimize how much of your paycheck is automatically taken out, and of course self-employed folks or those being paid “under the table” can get away with paying $0.
Again, though, if this regime stays in power long term and you’re withholding taxes out of protest, you will be actively pursued and punished harshly. And even if this regime doesn’t stay in power for long, once saner heads re-instate reasonable funding and staffing for the IRS, you will be screwed. Penalties, fees, interest. It will hurt and likely would not have accomplished anything either way.
I know multiple people who stopped paying taxes to “protest Obama” back in the day. At first it will seem like you got away with it. The only reason I know they did it is because they were quite proud and boastful of it. It may even take years before it becomes an issue, but by the time it does, it’s a monster of a problem. Headache after headache, lawyers and legal fees (in some cases), and always a much worse financial hit than if they’d just paid up initially. Ironically, their problems with the IRS didn’t even begin until Trump’s first time when they were “caught”.
It’s simply a bad idea. Right now it might seem like a reasonable gamble. Starve the beast. And they don’t have enough people working in the IRS to handle this any more.
But, don’t worry. Just like everything else out of this administration, they’ll selectively target political opponents, Democrats, and minorities.
But also, for most people, not paying taxes isn’t really an option. There are ways (as others mentioned) to minimize how much of your paycheck is automatically taken out, and of course self-employed folks or those being paid “under the table” can get away with paying $0.
Again, though, if this regime stays in power long term and you’re withholding taxes out of protest, you will be actively pursued and punished harshly. And even if this regime doesn’t stay in power for long, once saner heads re-instate reasonable funding and staffing for the IRS, you will be screwed. Penalties, fees, interest. It will hurt and likely would not have accomplished anything either way.