IRS loosening enforcement of ObamaCare mandate

[Ms. Toad]

5. Two things -

1. Anyone with a brain can legally avoid enforcement, since the law was written so that they can withhold the tax from your refund, but cannot pursue you for failure to pay. Just adjust your withholdings so you don't have a refund.

2. Second - this particular change ONLY addresses whether the return is accepted for electronic filing. Failure to answer the question is an automatic reject and, particularly near the end of the filing period would wreak havoc and create the potential for lots of late filing penalties (or lots of mailed returns that then have to be hand-processed - which is both costly and a royal pain). You don't answer the question - you can still file your return electronically. That's all it does. How they treat a non-answer is an entirely different question. My guess is that they will treat a non-answer as a "no," assess the penalty and deduct it from your refund (if you are due one). If you don't have a refund, see point 1.