This is in reply to E. Chris L’Hommedieu’s letter of April 19 regarding the federal order banning the sale of the book “Federal Mafia” that argues that the federal taxation of personal income is illegal.

The motive behind this repressive act by the Bush administration, which not only violates Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, but is reminiscent of the Nazi book burning, is if an unwary public knew the true nature of the income tax laws, no one would file returns or pay taxes.

The truth of the matter is what we have in this country today is the illegal confiscation of wealth in the guise of lawful taxation. There are no laws mandating the filing of an individual income tax return or paying the tax. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1959 that “our tax system in this country is based upon voluntary assessment and payment, not upon distraint.”

The 16th Amendment (the income tax amendment) merely established the income tax as an excise, which is an internal tax based on the manufacture, sale or consumption of a commodity within a country, or any various taxes or privilege often assessed in the form of a license or other fee.

Dee C. Brown Jr., Readfield

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