I don’t want to get political here, but I do want to point out something I came across that is very interesting. There is a group of war protestors who refuse to fund the war through their federal income taxes – so they’ve decided to stop paying those taxes. And they’ve figured out how to do it legally.
The basic idea for this “legal tax refusal” is to get their income below the taxable level – live on $8,450 a year, or less. The group points out that you can raise that number to $12,450 if you contribute to an IRA, but that extra $4,000 isn’t available to be spent.
Anybody, regardless of their political leanings, can glean some important finance concepts from the group:
- It is possible to live on very little, and the group even provides tips on how to do so. These tips are helpful to anyone trying to reduce their expenses, regardless of income.
- Even on a minimal income, it’s still possible, and advantageous, to contribute to a retirement fund.
Do you think you could live on less than $1000 a month?
Hell, I manage to do it and live just fine.
My secret?
Catpennies.
If you can get your income low enough, you can qualify for EIC (earned income credit) and actually drain money from the federal coffers, theoretically reducing the money available for the war effort.
Well, considering our apartment is $705/month with water… probably not. But I guess if you divided it in half per person, we get pretty close to $1k or less.
Those guys certainly don’t live in Silicon Valley. That’s all I have to say about that.
THE WAR ISN’T FUNDED BY INCOME TAX MONEY. CHECK OUT THIS SITE MONEYASDEBT.NET AND BECOME A LITLLE MORE INFORMED ON WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON WITH OUR MONEY.
You are “right on the money”! The information taught in MONEYASDEBT should be required in school. Of course we would have a revolution…
There isn’t anywhere in the country where a person paying some sort of rent or mortgage can get by on $1000 per month without some sort of subsidy.
@Darrin Mish –
I don’t find that to be true at all. I have a friend out here in a small town that pays $500 a month for a two bedroom apartment. If he got a roommate, he could knock that down to $300 a month, with utilities. Using the tips on the site in the article, you could get by spending about $100 on groceries a month.
There are places within walking distance of my friend’s apartment to work at, so a car is not required. That leaves $600 a month for any other expenses you might have – I think it’s completely doable, perhaps even with a car.
This is just an example – I’m just saying that there are definitely places in the US where you can live on less than $1000 a month.
Could I live on less than $1000 a montn? Yes, I could. I’ve done it in the past.
Would I want to live on less than $1000 a month? No, for me it’s a wretched existence which means I can’t eat the things I like, I can’t live in the place I like, I can’t do any of my hobbies.
For me, having less than $1000 a month isn’t really living at all.
– Gary
Hello? Reality? We have children, and it is illegal for us to rent an apartment, there are “so many of us”. The government hates families, and makes it impossible for them to survive on small incomes.
The federal income tax does not fund war efforts. The federal income tax is paid as interest to the Federal Reserve, which in turn loans money to the Federal Government. This money then funds all the spending that the government attributes to the federal income tax. The Federal Reserve is nothing Federal. It is PRIVATE. There is no law saying that you need to pay a federal income tax. There is literally NO law. IRS officials could not find it and subsequently resigned. You will be wrongfully tried and punished, fined, etc. for a non-existent law, and there is nothing to do about it, but lie about your income as a private business, or make and live off less than 1000$ a month.
Sad…
@Dead Body Man – I’m afraid that’s simply untrue. The federal tax laws are contained in the Internal Revenue Code, also known as Title 26 of the United States Code, which is the compilation of laws passed by the Congress. The Internal Revenue Code is the law that requires people to pay taxes. Sorry to be the one to tell you. You can find more information by reading this Income Tax Myths page.
Stephanie – Don’t you find it the least bit worth considering that, The Internal Revenue Service didn’t even exist until 1913. Hmmmm! Isn’t that the same year the Federal Reserve Act was passed on December 23rd at 1:45am, while 90% of Congress was back in their home states for the Christmas vacation.
I’m sure that it’s just coincidental.
There was a Department of Revenue for the Government that collected the then LEGAL taxed money. Which were Corporate profits (profits), Tariffs and Excise Taxes, and Profits from Investments. Again (PROFITS), were taxed then. The United States never had an Internal Revenue Service or an Income Tax on the labor. Labor is not profit. That Amendment was changed Feb 3, 1913 also to read “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration”.
Before the Federal Reserve System and their IRS, the Amendment called for direct and indirect taxation with direct proportion to the consensuses of the populace.
The Federal Reserve Owners changed that, to tax everyone, and everything.
It just seems real peculiar that the Federal Reserve System is enacted, and the same week the Internal Revenue Service is created, and the 16th Amendment to the Constitution is changed to eliminate it’s intention, and all this is done the last week in December 1913. Quite coincidental…..
Wake up. You’ve been robbed.
[citation needed]
You could actually earn much more than the number here (I think it’s $9350 now). Dave Gross shows how to do it http://sniggle.net/Experiment/index.php?entry=howto there.
(Can you tell I’m reading your blog chronologically?)
By contributing tax to a government that has broken the laws of law, you are committing a crime of conduct ancillary and aiding and obetting your government in war crimes. Therefore YOU are required BY LAW to refuse to pay tax. Or are you going to continue to fund their crimes? WAKE UP PEOPLE!