Right-wingers grift their MAGA followers by suggesting they can stop paying income taxes...

[Nevilledog]

https://www.mediamatters.org/taxes/right-wingers-grift-their-maga-followers-suggesting-they-can-stop-paying-income-taxes-help

Numerous right-wing personalities have been telling their followers that they can stop paying federal income taxes by enrolling in the pricey and non-accredited Freedom Law School. The pitches for the scam are directly targeted at Trump supporters, imploring them to “never again voluntarily pay the Washington D.C. Swamp” and “defund the government that is being used to weaponize itself against us.”

The promotions for Freedom Law School are yet another example of how right-wing grifters sell out their followers for profit even when it can lead to serious illness or death (e.g. COVID-19 scams); financial ruin (e.g. health care sharing ministry); or imprisonment (e.g. January 6).

Freedom Law School is a Florida-based organization headed by Peymon Mottahedeh that encourages people to not pay income taxes, claiming that “YOU can defund the monstrous federal government by not filing and paying federal income taxes you legally never owed anyway!” Instead, Freedom Law School tells people to pay potentially thousands of dollars to them so they can avoid paying taxes. (Freedom Law School is not an accredited law school.)

The organization is targeted at Trump supporters. A sales pitch on its Facebook page claims: “When you know the facts and the law you too will feel secure in not supporting the deep state. You really can stop voluntarily supporting the Washington D.C. Swamp. Join your fellow patriots in the Restore Freedom movement, help your family and America Prosper and Make America FREE Again!”

*snip*


Please proceed, dumbasses.

[Deuxcents]

1. Please don't pay your taxes and get back to us..

I’d like to know how that works out

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. "You can be a millionaire and never pay taxes." NT

[ProfessorGAC]

5. First, Make A Million Dollars!

Stealing an old Steve Martin line.
His plan was then to not pay taxes & when the IRS gets to you tell them "I forgot. Excuuuuuse Me!"
Steve's comedic bit was no worse than this plan.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. Failure to file carries serious penalties.

After a number of years, the IRS will find you. Anyone who works at a job, pays taxes. Anyone who makes money off of money, pays taxes. Investment firms are monitored as are Banks.

One owns a home, property taxes are paid through mortgages if escrowed.

Of course, these people are too stupid to know that.

[C_U_L8R]

4. Inciting criminal acts

This ought to end well.

[gratuitous]

6. What used to be comedy is now right wing dogma

"Two simple words: I forgot."

[keithbvadu2]

7. Does he withhold taxes for his employees?

[Abolishinist]

8. They've been promoting this for decades. From the article...

Needless to say, people who do not pay their federal income taxes can face significant penalties, including imprisonment. In 2016, for instance, a California man and Freedom Law School member was sentenced to “33 months in prison for tax evasion.” The Justice Department wrote in a press release:

According to evidence presented at trial, in 2001, [Richard Thomas] Grant stopped filing individual income tax returns and paying income taxes despite the fact that he received significant income as a partner with Grant Engineering & Manufacturing, an engineering company in Richmond. In 2003, Grant stopped filing annual partnership returns for Grant Engineering, even though he continued to pay a CPA to prepare these returns. That same year, Grant became a member of Freedom Law School, and paid thousands of dollars in yearly membership fees. While the IRS attempted to collect unpaid taxes owed by Grant for 2001 and 2002, and attempted to examine Grant’s taxes for subsequent years, Grant, with the assistance of Freedom Law School, attempted to frustrate the IRS’s actions by, among other things, filing multiple law suits in various jurisdictions. These lawsuits were unsuccessful.

This really worked out well for him! In addition, I wonder how much he ended up spending on taxes, penalties, frivolous lawsuits et al.

[louis-t]

9. Soon, the prisons will be full of MAGAT tax scofflaws.

I for one am looking forward to it.

[IronLionZion]

10. And go to prison for tax evasion like Al Capone

good plan idiots.

The Biden Administration is prioritizing catching wealthy tax cheaters

[Lonestarblue]

11. Freedom Law School sounds a lot like Trump University. Fraud, anyone?

[f_townsend]

12. "The pitches for the scam are directly targeted at Trump supporters"

Makes sense to go after proven fools who fall for such grifts.

[BadGimp]

13. Surprise, Suprise, Surprise

[3Hotdogs]

14. First think IRS should do? Audit the membership list of idiots who pay membership to these clowns.

Second thing ---- arrest and charge the clowns.

Or maybe,

arrest the clowns should come first.

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

15. Please proceed, indeed

[roamer65]

16. Knowing how stupid MAGAts are, some would probably be missing out on refunds.

Taxes get withheld whether you like it or not.