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Another Travel Ban: IRS Moves to Revoke Passports for Unpaid Taxes

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Re: Another Travel Ban: IRS Moves to Revoke Passports for Unpaid Taxes

#11
post #9

Nice little minimum security prison Uncle Sam is building here. Right now it seems so innocuous: you can't leave the country for limited reasons. Expect the reasons to expand in time. Scope creep is routine in Federal law. I am a tax lawyer, and I am disgusted. Land of the free, indeed. Peh.

"Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. " [0] UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 13. Supported by the US, but not legal binding. "1. Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence. 2. Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his…

The U.N. charta also decides when a war is legitimate - most if not all recent U.S. wars were not following those simple rules.

Unfortunately, the quoted declarations are simply ignored by some signing countries.

Re: Another Travel Ban: IRS Moves to Revoke Passports for Unpaid Taxes

#12
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. " [0] UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 13. Supported by the US, but not legal binding. "1. Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence. 2. Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his…

The U.N. charta also decides when a war is legitimate - most if not all recent U.S. wars were not following those simple rules. Unfortunately, the quoted declarations are simply ignored by some signing countries.

How much weight does our court system give to treaties?

I assume that if Congress explicitly passed a low contradicting a treaty, then our courts would honor Congress's law. However, given that Congress approved the treaty, it seems reasonable that when judging the actions of a federal agency (such as the IRS), the courts would try to interperat the law in a way consistent with our treaties.

Re: Another Travel Ban: IRS Moves to Revoke Passports for Unpaid Taxes

#13
post #8

Nice little minimum security prison Uncle Sam is building here. Right now it seems so innocuous: you can't leave the country for limited reasons. Expect the reasons to expand in time. Scope creep is routine in Federal law. I am a tax lawyer, and I am disgusted. Land of the free, indeed. Peh.

Paying—or at least filing—your taxes is the law in the USA. Generally speaking, breaking laws results in you losing some freedoms. I'm sure there are other crimes for which you would lose the right to travel out of the country. Anyways, the article states that this would only apply in cases where an individual has over $50,000 in unpaid taxes. Statistically speaking, I don't imagine that very many people find themsel…

Generally speaking, in order to lose freedoms due to lawbreaking, the government must first prove beyond reasonable doubt that you have in fact violated the law. This does not appear to be the case here.

Re: Another Travel Ban: IRS Moves to Revoke Passports for Unpaid Taxes

#14
post #8

Nice little minimum security prison Uncle Sam is building here. Right now it seems so innocuous: you can't leave the country for limited reasons. Expect the reasons to expand in time. Scope creep is routine in Federal law. I am a tax lawyer, and I am disgusted. Land of the free, indeed. Peh.

Paying—or at least filing—your taxes is the law in the USA. Generally speaking, breaking laws results in you losing some freedoms. I'm sure there are other crimes for which you would lose the right to travel out of the country. Anyways, the article states that this would only apply in cases where an individual has over $50,000 in unpaid taxes. Statistically speaking, I don't imagine that very many people find themsel…

It's easier than you might think: the IRS adds on fees and penalties at a prodigious rate.
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