How ridiculous...

http://www.infrastructureusa.org/the-fiscal-implications-of-the-senate-highway-bill-s-1813/

By a vote of 74-22 on March 14, the Senate passed an 18-month highway bill (S. 1813) reauthorizing the federal surface transportation program through the end of FY 2013. Twenty-two senators, all Republican, voted against the final bill.

The amendment, Section 40304, was written by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and would authorize the State Department to revoke, deny or limit passports for anyone the Internal Revenue Service certifies as having “a seriously delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000.”

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/04/04/owe-the-irs-bill-would-suspend-passport-travel-rights-for-delinquent-taxpayers/

Owe The IRS? Bill Would Suspend Passport Rights For Delinquent Taxpayers

n addition to authorizing appropriations for federal transportation and infrastructure programs, the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” or “MAP-21? includes a provision that would allow for the “revocation or denial” of a passport for anyone with “certain unpaid taxes” or “tax delinquencies”.

Section 40304 of the legislation states that any individual who owes more than $50,000 to the Internal Revenue Service may be subject to “action with respect to denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport”.

The bill does allow for exceptions in the event of emergency or humanitarian situations or limited return travel to the U.S., or in cases when any tax debt is currently being repaid in a “timely manner” or when collection efforts have been suspended.

However, there does not appear to be any specific language requiring a taxpayer to be charged with tax evasion or any other crime in order to have their passport revoked or limited — only that a notice of lien or levy has been filed by the IRS.

I won't go into the details but a while back I was notified I owed more than $50K in back taxes. Best I can tell it was some sort of data entry error but it took months to straighten out. It would not have been appropriate for me to lose my passport for that time.

I wonder what happened to the guy who did owe it....

a Constitutional Lawyer brought up the same thing

You bring up a point that suggests that some who will be affected are innocent. It seems to me that it is a pretty good idea to get people to pay the taxes they owe - and, by and large - this will hit few poor or even middle class people - unless they go multiple years not paying taxes.

The tax system is the one forum where you have to prove your innocence...The supervisor defended their system and said, any mistake they made I must have contributed too in some fashion. It was a nightmare. They were a week or so from attaching bank accounts and wages (according to them). I had to pay all my own legal bills with no recourse to recoup them.

Making sure people are paying the taxes is very important, so is not screwing innocents along the way.

It really sounds wrong that the government is not forced to cover legal fees when they were wrong.

The USA continues to take away the freedom of Americans. This bill has already passed the senate, it is very important that you contact your representatives to oppose senate bill 1813 and request that the amendment giving new power to the IRS to revoke and suspend passports removed quickly. It is very easy to contact your representatives by email, here is the link. https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Below is my draft response to my representative, it may be helpful for other people that oppose this bill and also explains my views. You are welcome to use whatever you want when you contact your representatives.

I oppose S.1813 - Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Act of 2012. I also oppose the attached Amendment giving power to the IRS to revoke and suspend passports.

Specifically I oppose the bill because it creates additional spending and even more important I also oppose the attached amendment giving power to the IRS to revoke or suspend or renew passports. I oppose the IRS having the power to prevent or prohibit Americans from traveling. I oppose giving the IRS any additional powers. Please do what it takes to remove the amendment from Senate bill 1813 and all other bills it may get attached to in the future.

First of all Americans have the right to dispute an IRS claim and the amount of the dispute is unimportant. Everyone knows the exorbitant penalties and high interest can hyper-inflate any claim to a much higher figure than what is mentioned in the amendment. The politicians in the senate are obviously trying to circumvent justice and give the IRS the power to strong arm the taxpayers and take away their right to dispute an IRS claim.

The IRS is already the most feared and ruthless collection agency in the world, politicians should be limiting the IRS powers not giving them more power. The politicians have promised to reduce the powers of the IRS many times before but instead they attempt to give the IRS more power. The hypocritical politicians need to be stopped now. Please also introduce a bill to reduce the powers of the IRS.

It is obvious once again the politicians that authored the amendment and attached the amendment to Bill 1813 and the senators that approved this bill 1813 are not thinking correctly. As a general rule the rich and the poor do not have tax disputes with the IRS of course their are a few exceptions but not many, it is the small business owners that have the majority of tax disputes with the IRS. In addition it is the small business owners that pay the majority of the taxes to the IRS. So the stupid or ignorant politicians that authored and attached and approved the amendment giving power to the IRS to revoke or suspend passports are targeting and attacking the small business owners which pay most of the taxes in the USA, that sounds kind of stupid to me. In addition the small business owners that do international business will be affected the most, unfortunately that is the fastest growing portion of American business. Small business owners that focus on international business are the companies that are hiring many people at this time. Obviously business owners that do international business need their passports to make money and pay taxes. Once again targeting and attacking the fastest growing and most vulnerable part of American Business sounds stupid to me. The amendment could obviously have a negative impact on the hiring of Americans and jeopardize desperately needed jobs. Please do everything possible to prevent bill 1813 from becoming law and remove all Amendments giving additional power to the IRS.

If this bill 1813 with the amendment giving the IRS power to revoke passports is ever passed, soon after some ignorant congressman will attempt to take away the drivers licenses of the American people for some frivolous reason. That will accomplish nothing and further anger and polarize the American people as well as erode American values and pride as well as restrict the freedom and liberty of Americans. I assume they may soon revoke all the driving licenses of Americans that cannot afford to pay their student loans or some other asinine reason. I am sure this will happen so please be prepared and vote no for any such action. Next they will restrict travel between states for unpaid government backed mortgages or loans or other reasons. These attacks on the freedom need to stop now.

Restricting Americans freedom to travel in order to help reduce the deficit is unconscionable and stupid.These soviet style tactics of limiting peoples freedom are going to backfire. As was in the other repressive societies in the past the wealthy and middle class people that can afford to will just leave the USA permanently and start paying their taxes to another country that does not have soviet style repression. Many wealthy and middle class people are already leaving the USA. So the end result would be that less people would be paying taxes. You already know this is already happening. This Senate Bill 1813 needs to defeated and the amendment giving power to the IRS to revoke and suspend passports needs to removed permanently from all bills. Please make sure it happens.

Everyone knows that the true cause of huge budget deficit and the astronomical debt is overspending and over borrowing. Always keep in mind that the politicians created the huge deficit and astronomical debt. The taxpayers with IRS disputes did not create this problem. If the debt was not so large and the taxes not so high and the IRS penalties not so unreasonable there would be far less tax disputes and no need to harass American taxpayers. The politicians created all this debt so it would better if you introduced a bill that gives the IRS the power to revoke the passports of the politicians that created this huge debt and deficit problem, please do that. This repressive amendment may be a feeble attempt to cut the deficit however it appears more like a distraction designed to distraction Americans from the real problem of overspending but it will obviously not work. It is not possible to reduce the huge astronomical debt by making the USA into a debtors prison. You could take away everyone's passport and driving license and you still would not be able to fix the huge budget deficit and the astronomical debt of our country.

The amendment that gives the IRS the power to revoke or suspend passports is extremely repressive as well offensive. It is something you expect from Russia or China, not the USA. Turning the USA into a debtors prison is something I thought could never happen in the USA. This country has gone down hill rapidly, the politicians are destroying America. The amendment attached to Senate bill 1813 giving the IRS power to revoke or suspend passports proves that the government really is turning into a repressive regime against American's right to freedom, liberty and the pursuit of justice. Already the USA has the highest percentage of it's citizens in prison, a higher percentage than any other country in the world including Iran, China, Cuba and Russia. Now the politicians want to make the entire country a debtors prison, it appears that the politicians in the Senate may be mentally ill or intentionally trying to create a repressive regime to totally control it's citizens. I value freedom and liberty above everything else as did my forefathers that founded and fought to keep this country free. The inclusion of the Amendment of giving additional power to the IRS in any bill is one step closer for the USA to becoming a police state. Please do everything possible to prevent this bill 1813 from becoming law and remove the amendment giving the IRS any additional power (including the revocation or suspension or preventing the renewal of passports).

Even though the huge debt and budget deficit is a catastrophic problem it appears that the Senate politicians would rather spend their valuable time harassing Americans instead of trying to find ways to cut the out of control spending. The only thing that will fix the huge deficit and the astronomical debt of our country is to cut spending so I am also instructing you to reduce spending now. I oppose any additional spending, I also oppose any additional debt. I want you to cut spending. Please concentrate on the problem of overspending and prevent socialist senate politicians from passing laws that give more power to the IRS to harass and imprison American citizens in their own country. The politicians caused the huge deficit now fix it by cutting spending and cutting borrowing.

Please vote no for all such amendments and bills that polarize the people and/or attempt to create class warfare and/or harass American citizens and/or limit Americans freedom and/or take away the rights of Americans to dispute claims with the IRS or make it more difficult to dispute claims with the IRS.

There is an ever growing erosion of American values and pride as well as an ever increasing embarrassment of being American. Politicians that create and pass laws that limit American freedom and erode American pride are making the USA the laughing stock of the world. America is supposed to be a role model for other countries when it comes to freedom. Instead now the amendment attached to bill 1813 giving power to the IRS to revoke or suspend passports prove that the USA is one of the most repressive governments in the world.

When I see attachments to bills like the one giving the IRS power to suspend or revoke an Americans right to travel it makes me sick. It makes me feel embarrassed to be an American. Please try to stop the other politicians from destroying our country. Can you imagine what reaction our forefathers the founders of this country would have if something like this happened 200 years ago? It is obvious that would have never happened because they understood what freedom means and fought and died for the freedom of Americans. Now politicians are trying to take away the freedom of Americans. So why is it happening now? I think you already know, this country is going bankrupt and bad politicians would rather polarize and harass American citizens than cut spending. As always politicians put their own interest in continuing their career as a politician ahead of the needs of the American people. The overspending socialist politicians are addicted to spending other peoples money (the tax payers) and borrowing more every chance they get.It is easy for them to spend other peoples money, specifically my money (Americans are responsible for the debt of their country.). That is sad and it makes me sick when politicians spend my money foolishly. I would never authorize anyone to use my money to overspend and then over borrow. I am instructing you to cut spending now and stop harassing Americans. Please oppose Senate bill 1813 and remove the amendment giving the IRS power to revoke, suspend or refuse renewal of passports.

It is hard to believe that in the USA travel is a privilege and not a right. The USA government continues to increase control over it's citizens at an alarming rate. When the American government controls your ability to travel it is easy to see that the American government is out of control.and needs to reigned in by it's citizens. Please initiate a bill that makes Americans ability to travel freely a right and not just a privilege so other politicians will never be able to do this repressive act in the future. I don't want my government to be able to limit travel and control Americans like other repressive governments. I want Americans to be to be free and I want to be proud of my country.

The politicians created all the problems in my country so please start fixing this country now by cutting spending, please stop spending my money without my permission, please stop borrowing without my permission. Most of all stop attempting to harass the American citizens and don't forget the taxpayers that the Senate politicians are attempting to harass pay their salaries. Please initiate a bill to reduce all congressman's salary by 50% until the astronomical government debt is zero.

This bill is already causing stress and strife in this country. Politicians are trying to polarize the American people and imprison Americans that want to dispute IRS claims. It is a lame idea and it will not work. The whole idea of a debtors prison is archaic and repressive. It appears that the politicians that approved this bill in the senate are obviously trying to distract Americans and divert their attention from the real problem (overspending & over borrowing). You politicians need to remember that our forefathers that were rich and poor fought together to create a free country. The rich and the poor fought to keep an oppressive government from controlling their lives. It appears that once again it is time for the rich and poor to work together to change this repressive regime that you politicians call a government. It is time to vote against all the politicians that attempt to attempt to create a repressive regime that tries to control the freedom of it's citizens.

Once again, I oppose Bill 1813 and I oppose the attached Amendment giving the IRS additional powers to revoke, suspend or refuse to renew passports. I want you to remove the Amendment giving power to the IRS to revoke, suspend or refuse to renew passports from bill 1813 and any other bill that contains similar amendments. I oppose any bill that changes the freeways to toll roads.

Sincerely,

"Restricting Americans freedom to travel in order to help reduce the deficit is unconscionable and stupid. These soviet style tactics of limiting peoples freedom are going to backfire."

"It is something you expect from Russia or China, not the USA."

The irony is hilarious, since the primary class of US citizen that has faced passport revocation were those suspected of Communist leanings during the McCarthy era: it was the US anti-Communists who were actually the grand masters of passport refusal and revocation up until they were forced to cease and desist by the Supreme Court (Kent v. Dulles).

Issuing passports is a service of the government. Maybe it is fair to revoke personal services of the government for people not paying $50,000 in taxes. It is not your "freedom" to not pay your taxes and to expect the government to provide all its normal services.

OK by me.

But not appropriate for passports?

It's getting really hard to tell what I'm supposed to think..

Courtesy of me...

How about having a highway bill being about highways and highways only? Let's knock off this nonsense of attaching unrelated stuff to popular bills so you don't have to debate the questionable stuff on it's merits.

If this is a good idea, put it in it's own bill. Oh that's right, that's why you attach stuff like this to unrelated bills.

so...if u break the law, u lose some rights? that sounds just like every other day in the usa. whats the biggy?

I disputed a tax bill after the IRS determined that the amount I figured that I owed was incorrect.

They threatened me with all sorts of bullshit, but I knew that I was in the right and that their figures were wrong. My tax guy is a retired former IRS enrolled agent, and he thought that they flat-out plain screwed up somehow.

The IRS standard answer to every dispute is pay up, or suffer the consequences.


In the end, I prevailed. My figures were good, their's were vapor.

In the meantime, I should not be able to travel on my passport for eighteen months because some IRS computer program screwed up figuring a depreciation schedule?

I knew they were wrong and I was right...by the time I got finished with them, they actually owed me money..

However, I wonder about the people that just buckle under

I suppose some people just knuckle under.

My tax guy just laughed. He knew we were on rock-solid ground, hell we were using their own schedule for depreciation, the IRS just mis-categorized what it was.

He said that for the most part, a human being never even sees this stuff generated by the IRS until you bring it to their attention.

I know up here citizens' rights to enter or leave the counter is absolute and explicitly stated in the constitution, but I have no idea what US law says about that for its own citizens.

Just because you don't like their politics? There's also precedent for that in US law (Emma Goldman and many, many others).

Slippery slope. If it's allowed for the IRS, what's next? It's different if you are out on bail or have an active arrest warrant. But, that's about it.