Today, however, virtually every purchase or transaction imaginable is taxed - in addition to the selective direct taxation imposed by the central government. We have, indeed, become a subservient and compliant people. But tax protest is no longer so easy as dumping crates into Boston Harbor. The most logical way to protest income taxes is to stop paying them. But the central government has removed that option by making sure most Americans' income taxes are withheld, effectively keeping that portion of citizens' income claimed by the government from ever reaching their pockets.
Withholding also lulls taxpayers into indifference because they never actually have to pay taxes.
They just wait for their refund from the previous year's withheld income as if it is some kind of bonus. But alas, as noted by Lord Tytler above, the fix is in. And, in reality, nothing short of disposing of the current tax code or disposing of the current government will achieve that end. Mark Alexander is editor of The Federalist. Cybercast News Service.