Thursday, April 15, 2004
THERE'S ONE FOR YOU, NINETEEN FOR ME...
Yes, it's tax day - fortunately, Tax Freedom Day comes a little earlier than it used to thanks to the tax cuts passed by GWB - but for some, it's never tax day. Right around this time of year, the scammers and hucksters prey on innocent little talk radio hosts looking to generate...um...something.
Usually, it begins with an innocent little thought starter - the Constitution of the United States and how giving someone else your personal private income information is violating some portion of that wonderful document. It could also be how "income" isn't defined properly, or how you're not considered a "citizen" of the US, and a number of other scams and reasonable sales pitches.
There's a specific talk radio host who I directly compete with on a daily basis - I won't mention his name - but this guy comes out from under a rock and is preying on ignorance just like the liberals like to do with a host of other issues. He's actually encouraging people to not file their taxes based on the "voluntary filing" of your IRS forms. Yes, it's true...you voluntarily file your taxes...but you don't voluntarily pay them. The IRS gives you until April 15th to voluntarily file your taxes using all available means to do so (including home interest deductions, child tax credits, and so forth)...after which, they begin telling you how much you owe them without all that stuff.
I should tell you a little radio secret specific to talk radio hosts. We are supposed to be very good story tellers, very good communicators, very good salespeople. After all, we're selling ourselves to YOU...the listeners. We also sell other stuff like our personal involvement with advertisers we do business with. I get people all the time who want me to endorse their product or service, and I have to tell you, the money involved with some of these folks is extremely tempting. I could pay my house payment each month with what just 1 or 2 prospective clients want to pay me. Why don't I? I don't use or like their product or service...it's that simple. I can't fake interest in something that doesn't excite me...and I know you could tell easily (or through research of your own) if I am being insincere. Why would I risk that relationship? We're talking about my livelihood and my career here (and indirectly my family).
With that said...I want to warn you about people like We the People, or National Audit Defense Network, or any number of so-called "ex-IRS agent" led tax schemes...they're all bogus. They're making money...a lot of it. In fact, there are two stories just today about a few of these scams...
First...
The Justice Department asked a federal judge yesterday to effectively shut down a business that it says promotes income tax fraud and has bilked the government and 100,000 customers out of $500 million or more.
And this one:
As millions of taxpayers prepared to meet the April 15 filing deadline, an anti-tax author attempted to argue Wednesday in federal court that no American is required to pay taxes. Tax opponent Irwin Schiff and two of his associates appeared in U.S. District Court on charges they helped thousands of taxpayers file bogus returns.
They make their money by being salesmen of bogus information on "tax free" living scams...just like a certain Charleston area radio host is doing (hint: not me). I think a great question to ask this person is whether or not they have the guts not to file their own taxes for the sake of legitimacy...
If he takes the challenge...he's in for a rocky road...perhaps breaking rocks himself in a federal pen somewhere.
Yes, it's tax day - fortunately, Tax Freedom Day comes a little earlier than it used to thanks to the tax cuts passed by GWB - but for some, it's never tax day. Right around this time of year, the scammers and hucksters prey on innocent little talk radio hosts looking to generate...um...something.
Usually, it begins with an innocent little thought starter - the Constitution of the United States and how giving someone else your personal private income information is violating some portion of that wonderful document. It could also be how "income" isn't defined properly, or how you're not considered a "citizen" of the US, and a number of other scams and reasonable sales pitches.
There's a specific talk radio host who I directly compete with on a daily basis - I won't mention his name - but this guy comes out from under a rock and is preying on ignorance just like the liberals like to do with a host of other issues. He's actually encouraging people to not file their taxes based on the "voluntary filing" of your IRS forms. Yes, it's true...you voluntarily file your taxes...but you don't voluntarily pay them. The IRS gives you until April 15th to voluntarily file your taxes using all available means to do so (including home interest deductions, child tax credits, and so forth)...after which, they begin telling you how much you owe them without all that stuff.
I should tell you a little radio secret specific to talk radio hosts. We are supposed to be very good story tellers, very good communicators, very good salespeople. After all, we're selling ourselves to YOU...the listeners. We also sell other stuff like our personal involvement with advertisers we do business with. I get people all the time who want me to endorse their product or service, and I have to tell you, the money involved with some of these folks is extremely tempting. I could pay my house payment each month with what just 1 or 2 prospective clients want to pay me. Why don't I? I don't use or like their product or service...it's that simple. I can't fake interest in something that doesn't excite me...and I know you could tell easily (or through research of your own) if I am being insincere. Why would I risk that relationship? We're talking about my livelihood and my career here (and indirectly my family).
With that said...I want to warn you about people like We the People, or National Audit Defense Network, or any number of so-called "ex-IRS agent" led tax schemes...they're all bogus. They're making money...a lot of it. In fact, there are two stories just today about a few of these scams...
First...
The Justice Department asked a federal judge yesterday to effectively shut down a business that it says promotes income tax fraud and has bilked the government and 100,000 customers out of $500 million or more.
And this one:
As millions of taxpayers prepared to meet the April 15 filing deadline, an anti-tax author attempted to argue Wednesday in federal court that no American is required to pay taxes. Tax opponent Irwin Schiff and two of his associates appeared in U.S. District Court on charges they helped thousands of taxpayers file bogus returns.
They make their money by being salesmen of bogus information on "tax free" living scams...just like a certain Charleston area radio host is doing (hint: not me). I think a great question to ask this person is whether or not they have the guts not to file their own taxes for the sake of legitimacy...
If he takes the challenge...he's in for a rocky road...perhaps breaking rocks himself in a federal pen somewhere.
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