Confessions of a Radical Tax Protestor: An Inside Expose of the Tax Resistance Movement

by Larry R. Williams

Larry Williams has never backed away from authority, especially government authority - the U.S. or any other. Including two battles all the way to the Supreme Court.  Libertarian, trader, would be politician, and Indiana Jones-like adventurer, Larry has gone wherever his spirit moved him and bucked state constraints whenever he found them stifling. Throughout his life, his rebellious spirit served him well - huge successes in trading, to adventures right out of a Graham Greene novel in Saudi Arabia, two boisterous runs for the U.S. Senate, a famous actress daughter entangled with an even more famous actor, a new grandchild - the life well lived that would be the envy of most people. Along the way, Larry became a tax protester in the spirit of John Cheek and Irwin Schiff. However, Larry was far too free a spirit to give up his freedom for his beliefs, and figured that he was smarter than the zealot tax protesters now making license plates, particularly after meeting a man with an actual and real document from the IRS acknowledging the legitimacy of a certain kind of trust. But things are not always what they seem. Annoying letters from the IRS called for hiring an attorney to "work things out," which he thought (based on the bills he was paying) was in the works. Enjoying a pleasant flight in first class from South Africa to Australia, Larry, at the age of 64 with a new granddaughter and 5 children settled in successful lives of their own, reflected that life was pretty sweet. Then his plane landed in Australia and he was summarily arrested and jailed and taken to prison There began a nearly 4 year fight for his freedom at a huge financial cost; worse was the toll it took on his psyche. This is the story of Larry's war with the IRS and U.S. Dept. of Treasury and inside view of the world of tax protesters. Larry explains why the tax protest movement exists, where it is dead wrong and why it will most often lead followers to prison. He also weighs in on what can be done to correct the unfairness of the tax codes, and why tax rates are so astronomical, that the 'fair share' idea should be applied to what is the 'fair share' of your income the government is 'entitled' to.

Genres: Finance, Politics

240 pages, Hardcover

First published December 28, 2010

About the author

American author and commodity trader from the state of Montana

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A FASCINATING ACCOUNT BY A FORMER "TAX PROTESTER”

Larry R. Williams is an investments manager. He wrote in the Introduction to this 2011 book, "There are two purposes of this book. The most important purpose is to rile you up... so you take part in the change that is coming to our system of taxation... Change comes from drive and desire, which means taking an active part in the political process... [NOTE: He states his support on pages 143-144 for the Tea Party movement]... My second purpose... is to show the pitfalls and protest I encountered. I was an activist, but my action took a wrong turn; hoping for change, I accomplished nothing other than to greatly frustrate and stymie my own life. That was at great emotional and financial expense to all the people around me I love and care about. My mess was their burden, and there is no way that debt can be repaid." Nevertheless, he states that he is still "proud to call myself a tax protester now. The goal is the same---equal treatment and personal freedom." (Pg. 25)

He observes that "While a little guy like me... was seemingly destined for three to five years in prison, the big guys are not treated in the same way... it's clear that the little guy protesting the tax laws is not treated the same as someone who admitted to defrauding the government of $29 billion dollars." (Pg. 13) Later, he suggests that the Internal Revenue Code is "biased against the little guy who can't afford loophole lawyers and accountants." (Pg. 42)

He strongly advises against filing a so-called "Fifth Amendment" tax return; "Cases confirm that if you go down the path of the tax protesters who use the Fifth Amendment angle, you will lose in court and probably get a jail sentence." (Pg. 48) He adds that "clever, complex arguments... do not translate into courtroom victories... judges consistently rule in favor of the government on tax issues." (Pg. 57) He also notes that the IRS wins over 90% of tax cases that go to trial. (Pg. 88) He glumly notes that he paid his lawyer "over 15 times more than the amount the IRS thought I owed to the U.S. government." (Pg. 107)

Williams' book is a frank, insightful, and illuminating portrait of what can happen when one follows the unsound advice being given by a variety of "tax protesters."