(TRUNEWS) As tax season approaches a new law could cause Americans to have their passports confiscated by the U.S. State Department, as reported by Bloomberg.
In the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act signed by President Obama in December, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury gained permission to authorize the U.S. State Department to pursue or deny delinquent taxpayers their passport privileges. Under the provisions, those owing more than $50,000 to the IRS would receive written notice of the revocation, but only after the IRS has filed a lien against them.
Now $50,000 in delinquent taxes may seem like an outlandish and long accumulated bill, but under the IRS’s new rules a few small mistakes could easily create penalties in that amount.
IRS FINES
For example, the roughly 8 million Americans living overseas can be fined up to $10,000 for each violation — which may include not properly reporting a bank account, additional foreign income, or capital gain. This is currently being enforced on expats, but can easily be shifted to those living in the United States.
OBAMACARE FINES
This year, the Individual Mandate Penalty built into the Affordable Healthcare Act will be $695 per uninsured adult and $347.50 per uninsured child. This fine will increase annually based on consumer inflation, which could be between 2.37% (official) and 8% (real). This leaves the fine for 2017 anywhere from $711.47 (adult) / $355.74 (child) by official government numbers to $750.60 (adult) / $375.30 (child) by real numbers.
DEBT FINES
On top of current tax burdens, most middle-class Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Many hold large amounts of individual debt, from upside down mortgages, to unpaid student and personal loans. Could these delinquent debts ever become criminalized, and could liens against an individuals IRS tax burden?
In February 2016, seven deputy U.S. Marshals arrested Paul Aker in Houston, Texas over a $1,500 outstanding student loan he took out 29 years ago. The Marshals arrived in full combat gear, carrying automatic weapons, as part of an ongoing plan to serve up to 1,500 warrants on people also delinquent on their loans, as reported by TRUNEWS.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the average student loan debt for a 2015 graduate was approximate $35,000. In total, a report by Nerd Wallet, Inc. found that the average America holds $15,762 in credit card debt, $168,614 in unpaid mortgages, $27,141 in auto loans, $48,172 in student loans, and $130,922 in miscellaneous debt.
So whether it be a direct fine from the IRS, an imposed fine from violating the provisions of the Affordable Healthcare Act, or a delinquent school loan, the government has solidified a way to trap people inside the United States and limit free movement.
Reverend Al Sharpton speaks during a news conference held to address local media reports regarding his relationship with the FBI during the 1980s in New York April 8, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
RULES FOR SOME
As of 2015, the IRS says 8.7% of the general population is delinquent on their taxes. Ironically there are government employees and politicians well above that average which are seemingly being left un-harassed by the IRS.
The National Council on Disability had 11.54% of their employees delinquent on taxes while the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind had 10% and the Civil Rights Commission 9.52%.
Also, among the delinquent list were career politicians Al Sharpton and Newt Gingrich, who have hidden behind the legislation they personally lobbied for, which protected individuals from debts and fines incurred by election committees during presidential runs.
(REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/Files)
CONCLUSION
With rules like these being enforced on Americans — who only get rampant government overspending in return — is it any shock that since last year, the amount of Americans renouncing their citizenship has risen 25 percent to a record 4,279?
With 9,280 full-time employees hired by the IRS just this last year to keep up with the caseload of Obamacare and other new tax laws, America is quickly becoming the land of the not-so-free.
The post Land of the not-so free: IRS threatens to revoke passports appeared first on TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles.
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