“Duterte is doing nothing more than copying the processes and methods of the U.S. government in its war on drugs and its war on terrorism, both of which most members of the mainstream media have long supported.”
Read more: https://www.fff.org/2017/05/09/dutertes-murder-model-u-s-government/
“In its latest John Doe summons, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is requiring American Express to send account information of Dutch residents with credit or debit cards linked to bank accounts outside the Netherlands to U.S. tax authorities. The IRS had requested the information in cooperation with the Dutch government as part of an investigation to determine whether Dutch citizens living outside the Netherlands are complying with tax laws.”
Read more: http://www.pymnts.com/consumer-finance/2017/amex-must-share-dutch-account-info-with-irs/
“Even if the IRS survives a nuclear war, I have a feeling that their employees who are sent out to collect taxes wouldn’t live for very long.”
“Should we throw our bantam weight behind the president in search of personal gain? Or should we put on our Good Citizen lapel flag and rally round to save the country’s finances?”
Read more: http://bonnerandpartners.com/trumps-tax-plan-would-bankrupt-the-empire/
“According to the board, Järlström’s research into red light cameras and their effectiveness amounts to practicing engineering without a license. No, really. Järlström is now suing the state board over that fine, arguing that it’s unconstitutional to prevent someone from doing math without the government’s permission.”
Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2017/04/26/after-challenging-red-light-cameras-oreg
“The Treasury Inspector General released a report this month that reveals that the IRS deliberately targeted people they knew were not engaged in structuring for millions of dollars’ worth of seizures, such that 91% of seizures were made in error, taking money away from people engaged in lawful activity. These seizures were ‘quick hits’ that allowed IRS enforcers the rack up impressive resolution stats because the victims were happy to negotiate a settlement, as opposed to actual criminal acts. The result: for the IRS, depositing $10,000 or more was an inherently suspicious act; but so was depositing $10,000 or less.”
Read more: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/14/innocents-make-easy-marks.html
“In 2016, United Van Lines reported, New Jersey was the state with the most ‘outbound’ movers, followed by Illinois, New York and Connecticut. The top ten ‘inbound states’ included some with a higher tax burden, like #5 Vermont, but also Nevada and South Carolina, which rank #43 and #44, respectively.”
“Common red flags for passengers are ‘traveling to or from a known source city for drug trafficking, purchasing a ticket within 24 hours of travel, purchasing a ticket for a long flight with an immediate return, purchasing a one-way ticket, and traveling without checked luggage.’ DEA agents then detain and question travelers with large amounts of cash, and, if they determine the money is linked to drug activity, seize it, even if there is no hard evidence that it is connected to illegal activity. As the Inspector General notes, these agents ‘rely on their immediate, on-the-spot judgment.’ The passenger is then released, bereft of money but otherwise free to go.”
Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2017/03/29/the-dea-seized-4-billion-from-people-sin
“The full scope of the cash seizures—and the overwhelming amount of cases involving innocent people—have not been revealed until now. The inspector general found money seized and forfeited by the IRS was legally obtained in 91 percent of a sample of 278 structuring investigations it reviewed occurring between fiscal years 2012 and 2014. Altogether, those funds totalled $17.1 million and involved 231 cases.”
Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2017/04/04/irs-seized-17-million-from-innocent-busi
“While the cancer is in remission, Charf is still struggling with the deadly disease – and is now being pursued by an equally deadly and persistent stalker, the Internal Revenue Service. A few weeks ago, the IRS sent Charf – who is now a mother – a notice claiming that the donations that had paid for her treatment were considered income, and demanding more than $15,000 in back taxes and more than $3,500 in penalties.”