There is no rule of law, then what are we doing here? Why are we playing ball?

Ok, MAGA wants to burn it down. Good for MAGA, they still don’t get to decide for everyone.

I won’t be able to do this for long. Why aren’t we in the streets? What’s so great about your life that authoritarian rule is not a threat to you?

  • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
    617·
    3 months ago

    You are free to do whatever you want to do, however, there are consequences to your actions. If you believe that the US government will collapse and there will be no one to start garnishing your wages when you don’t report your taxes, then by all means, stop paying them.

    Your reaction is “reactionary”, though. You come across as though you are looking for a reason to not pay taxes, and you think you’ve found one. Instead, you should be looking for ways to correct the problems you see. If you don’t like Musk, then find ways to undermine him. Refusal to pay your taxes isn’t it, though.

      • chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world
        417·
        3 months ago

        You are giving false equivalency arguments. You are equating Musk’s abilities to some direct link in your taxes, as though the 25% you pay each paycheck is funding him. It isn’t. It is still funding garbage collection, national parks, welfare programs, and other critical infrastructure. Your taxes haven’t started going to new places. They are doing the exact same thing they have always done. You are being reactionary, and it comes off like you are either 15 years old and just learning about taxation, or 55 and learning about Libertarianism. Get a grip on yourself, realise that there is still work to be done, and being an infant about this shit isn’t doing anything but wasting people’s fucking time. If you don’t want to pay taxes, don’t. But don’t lie and say it’s about Musk. It’s selfishness. It’s because you can’t manage what money you have, and you think that little bit extra is going to make a difference. It won’t, though. You’ll still be broke because you spent all your money on weed and black light posters.

      • distantsounds@lemmy.worldEnglish
        7·
        3 months ago

        You are not alone. You have the ability to make positive change. If you would wish to have a larger impact, organize, find strength with those in your community and it will grow.

  • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
    27·
    3 months ago

    Honestly - set your paycheck withholding to zero, hope others do the same to defund the government… and when tax day comes next year double check if the IRS still exists before submitting your payment.

    • foggy@lemmy.world
      71·
      3 months ago

      100% doing this.

      I’ll be an old man telling 16 year olds to withold 0 and create a savings account for tax day sounding like a depression era grandma telling you to reuse the trash bags.

      • Clbull@lemmy.world
        2·
        3 months ago

        I don’t think you’ll want to risk prison time, especially when you risk being locked up alongside MS-13 gang members.

        Trump has agreed a deal with Nayib Bukele that will effectively allow him to deport illegal immigrants of any nationality to El Salvador and transfer US prisoners to their facilities.

    • blipcast@lemmy.world
      53·
      3 months ago

      This is bad advice. The annual income you report on your taxes indicates how much you should have been setting aside throughout the year. Failing to do so can result in fines. There are exceptions for when your income increases part way through a year, but if you do what you describe, they WILL ding you for that.

      • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
        21·
        3 months ago

        You can underwithold income and payroll taxes through the year. There is no need to have periodic withholding it is just a convenience for budgeting.

        The thing you cannot do if you don’t declare standard withholding is fall short or pay late (without a qualified extension). If you’re unable to pay the taxes you declined to pay through the year they will go after you. And if you’re late paying you will pay pretty significant interest on your owed amount.

  • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    12·
    3 months ago

    Does it matter who has the monopoly on violence, if you don’t? Ultimately, you pay taxes because if you refuse to for long enough, burly men with guns will eventually take your stuff and lock you up.

    • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
      42·
      3 months ago

      Why aren’t burly men coming for musk? How can my neighbor sit by and let it happen to me when they see nothing happen to him? The man illegally sticking their hand in their pocket.

      • ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        4·
        3 months ago

        Why aren’t burly men coming for musk?

        He has the support of the people with a monopoly on violence.

        How can my neighbor sit by and let it happen to me

        The fact that your neighbor can’t do anything is what makes it a monopoly.

        • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
          1·
          3 months ago

          The reason I would do it is not for monetary gain. I don’t believe I’m talking with someone who understands what the implications are of having musk in control all of the US’s appropriated funds.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
        3·
        3 months ago

        You seem to think there is some kind of cosmic balance.

        There is not.

        Musk in charge, you aren’t. That’s why he gets to do what he wants and you don’t. And it sucks.

  • marshadow@lemmy.world
    71·
    3 months ago

    Because not paying your taxes will draw attention from what remains of the system. I’m not thrilled about paying taxes to the dead and looted corpse of our government, but it’s better to stay under the radar.

  • agent_nycto@lemmy.world
    6·
    3 months ago

    Ok, but depending on your situation, you’ve already paid your taxes and filing them is you telling the IRS to give you a refund.

    • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
      21·
      3 months ago

      They can’t put 350 million people in prison. What good is your money in a country of lawlessness? When you pay the thugs to not rob you, what will be left for yourself?

      • artificialfish@programming.devEnglish
        61·
        3 months ago

        When you get all 350 million people to riot I’ll be on your side. But laying low is a more likely to succeed option. This country has never been fair or politically good. I prepared for this, because I could see it coming.

        I literally pay taxes, that’s paying the thugs not to rob you. It works well in Japan too, their thugs will defend your shop.

        • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
          4·
          3 months ago

          I’m not mad at you. I could sit this one out just the as much as the next guy. The fact is injustice is happening right in front of you and if no one stops it, it will find it’s way to you.

  • over_clox@lemmy.world
    3·
    3 months ago

    Just throw away all your money and live like half the rest of us, broke. If you have no money, you have nothing to tax.

      • over_clox@lemmy.world
        15·
        3 months ago

        You get a check? Like, those paper payments?

        I haven’t found one bank or establishment that’ll cash any of my former employer’s checks in over a decade. They tell me the companies I worked for aren’t registered as trusted employers/check issuers.

        My past employers all had to cash their own damn checks and hand me cash money. And that’s largely why I quit repairing computers, tablets and phones back in 2017, apparently all the tech companies here are shady, to the point even their own banks don’t trust them.

        Wish I knew what it was like to have an honest employer…

        Edit: I was even denied direct deposit from my own bank. Why? Shit, even the bank manager didn’t know. So I closed my bank account and have been on paper cash money for about a decade. I have no reason to trust banks that won’t even let money be deposited into my account.