US Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) finds that up to 2,000 IRS employees owe nearly $50M in taxes

Tax evading tax collectors! That's a good one! Well, IRS employees sure know how to do it first hand!

Trump is not even anywhere near the office and the shoes drop!

India's economic pushback against China' business infiltration of the Indian market

Wow! This is huge! Indian authorities are accusing major Chinese companies of massive tax evasion and import duty fraud totaling billions of dollars!

Chinese smartphone makers obliterated Indian smartphone makers in the last 9 years. Other Indian companies in other markets were crowded out as well.

India is reducing its considerable dependence (> 90%) on Chinese pharmaceutical intermediate products.

Die EU setzt die britischen Cayman-Inseln und Panama auf die schwarze Liste der Steueroasen

Anstelle die Steuern fuer Buerger und Unternehmen deutlich zu senken versuchen die geldgierigen Europaeischen Politiker kleine Laender unter Druck zu setzen!

Die EU setzt die britischen Cayman-Inseln und Panama auf die schwarze Liste der Steueroasen | NZZ: Kurz nach dem Brexit und vor dem Beginn der Gespräche über ein Freihandelsabkommen hat die EU die Cayman-Inseln auf eine schwarze Liste von Steueroasen gesetzt. Grossbritannien hatte dies in der Vergangenheit verhindert. Panama ereilt dasselbe Schicksal.

European Union To Intensify Their Hunt Of Alleged Tax Evaders

European Banks Are Deputized Tax Collectors

According to news reports (German language), the EU is planning more data exchange and reporting requirements for European banks on so called unearned income (interest, dividends, rent, capital gains etc.) of their customers.

To Criminalize Tax Payers Is A Fool’s Errand

As is so common in our time, these European politicians don’t get it. Taxes are way too high in many member countries of the European Union. Instead of lowering taxes, these economic illiterates and naïve busybodies have nothing better to do than to go after alleged tax evaders.

Tax Evasion Is Not Really A Crime

I have written more about this subject here.

Germany: When Government Incites Crime And Becomes A Receiver Of Stolen Goods

Background

I will not go into much of the details of this disturbing story here, but I may amend later.

In their quest to uncover tax evaders, the federal government of Germany as well as at least one German state government bought stolen digital storage media containing bank customer data, which were illegally obtained from banks in Switzerland. These purchases have been going on for some time.

Government Becomes A Promoter Of Crime

It has been reported that German tax authority officials actively pursued these purchases of stolen goods even by traveling to Switzerland. Switzerland has indeed indicted German tax enforcement officers for doing that.

Would a private person become a receiver of such stolen goods (German: Hehler), this person would surely be indicted by prosecutors.

Is Tax Evasion A Crime?

If tax evasion is a crime what kind of crime is it? First and foremost, your legitimately hard earned money is your property. Therefore, it is one of the highest priorities of any government to exercise great restraint in taxing its citizens.

When government resorts to such illegal and desperate measures to go after tax evaders, then this sure is a sign that taxes in this country are too high or even confiscatory, which in fact they are.

Significant and broadly based tax evasion by tax payers is usually a tell tale sign that the tax burden in that country is too high.

Why do people refuse to give away their hard earned money to the government? Perhaps they feel they are disproportionally affected by taxation. Perhaps, they feel that government is wasting their money or accumulating too much debt.

Except for tax evasion, tax evaders are likely law abiding citizens in most other aspects of their life. Probably, they are not professional criminals.

Voting With Your Money

Political elections in Western democracies happen too infrequent and their outcomes often are unsatisfactory.

Thus, if a person strongly feels unsatisfied with the government and if the tax burden is high then voting with your money (a.k.a. tax evasion) is perhaps legitimate as a vote with the ballot.

Tax evaders risk indictment to express their views.