# Voluntary Income Tax?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 5, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299 "2001-07-05T04:12:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ComingApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e495f1/32.png) [@ComingApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComingApart)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299/1 "2001-07-05T04:12:07Z")

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I’m sure this has been brought up here before, but whats the deal with the US Income tax being voluntary? All the research i’ve done on the net turns up nothing but places selling this “Patriotic” propaganda, making it impossible to find anything useful. I figure anything hocked by right wing extremist groups has to be hockey, but I figured someone here could straighten me out. Thanks for any help

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**Author:** ![Father\_Pacelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@Father\_Pacelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Father_Pacelli)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299/2 "2001-07-05T05:36:01Z")

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It’s total bull dookey, just as you suspected. Check the following link for more details.

Basically, the word “voluntary” means that we fill out the forms and send in our checks ourselves–we don’t send tax collectors around the way they did in the old days. If you’re stupid enough to argue this protestor dribble in court, expect to be fined and sanctioned.

Oh yeah, that link: [http://www.quatloos.com/taxscams/taxprot.htm](http://www.quatloos.com/taxscams/taxprot.htm)

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**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299/3 "2001-07-05T06:17:16Z")

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\>\> I’m sure this has been brought up here before

You’re right on that one. A search would have yielded many hits:  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42895](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42895)  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=44448](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=44448)  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58162](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58162)  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58176](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=58176)  
Welcome to the board. It is good practice to do a search before you ask as it may have been asked before.

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**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299/4 "2001-07-05T10:05:51Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ComingApart \*

Gives a whole new meaning to the Old Gag:

Sellers: “Would you care to join us?”

Milligan: “Why? Are you **ComingApart**?”

Seacombe: _ **THBBTTTT** _

Gp

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**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/voluntary-income-tax/71299/5 "2001-07-05T11:53:21Z")

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The biggest crock in government double-speak is FICA. It stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. How many of you “contribute” FICA (Social Security payments) voluntarily?