Why Amish do not pay Social Security Taxes by Martin
Armstrong, 4/5/17
In 1935, Roosevelt introduced “The
Social Security Act” which passed Congress. However, the act was described “Old
Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance.” At first, the Act covered
only industry and commerce. It was later extended to include farm
operators in 1955. The SS tax was to be at the rate of 3% of income up to an
established limit.
The Amish pay taxes because the
Bible said: “paying unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” It was in 1956 that the
IRS went to tell the Amish they were now under Social Security and they would
have to pay. One Amishman was quoted in a November 1962 Reader’s Digestarticle:
“Allowing our members to shift their interdependence on each other to
dependence upon any outside source would inevitably lead to the breakup of our
order.” The constitutional question that has never been decided, what happens
when the taxing power of government violates the First Amendment and Freedom of
Religion? It clearly states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
Then Jefferson wrote in 1802 to the
Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut, that there should be “a wall of separation
between church and state.” They feared that a minority religion could be
subjugated by the Federal Government acknowledging a national
religion. The Johnson Amendment, named for Lyndon Johnson, is a provision
in the U.S. tax code that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations from
endorsing or opposing political candidates. If churches involve themselves in
politics, then indeed that creates a reverse problem where the state can be
taken over by one religion and oppress all others; so it can go both ways.
Historically, religions have often seized governments and outlawed all other
religions.
In this instance concerning taxation
in direct conflict with religion, a group of Amish presented a petition to
Congress, with 14,000 signatures. Naturally, Congress ignored them. The Amish
reasonably questioned what possible harm they could do by not paying into
Social Security. “We do not want to be burdensome, but we do not want to lose our
birthright to everlasting glory, therefore we must do all we can to live our
faith!”
The IRS moved to go after the Amish
and seize their bank accounts. The problem was – they had none! The IRS then
sought to go after anyone buying milk from the Amish and attach their payments
to divert them to the IRS. Most simply refused for such a scheme would happen
just once and end the business. The IRS, refusing to consider any religious
principle, moved in to seize property. In this case of the Amish, that meant
cows and horses. They would rather have the Amish die than respect anyone’s
rights to religion.
Valentine Byler of the Amish
community in Pennsylvania, owed four years of IRS taxes. The IRS, of course,
tacked on interest and penalties to raise it up to $308.96. Byler argued
his religion forbid paying insurance. The IRS said that was a “technicality”
and that it was really just a tax. Vyler has no bank account to seize so they
issued a summons to appear in court for a charge of contempt. The judge in
Federal District Court in Pittsburgh, Pa, according to a Reader’s Digest article,
“angrily demanded of the IRS agents, ‘Don’t you have anything better to do than
to take a peaceful man off his farm and drag him into court?’” The Judge then
dismissed the case.
The IRS never gives up. The IRS had
to issue a statement on April 18, 1961 in which they said: Since Mr.
Byler had no bank account against which to levy for the tax due, it was decided
as a last desperate measure to resort to seizure and sale of personal property.
The IRS seized three of Byler’s six
horses while he was actually plowing the ground for the spring planting. The
IRS then sold the three horses at auction on May 1, 1961 getting $460. They
then used this to satisfy the $308.96 and then charged him $113.15 in expenses
and graciously returned $37.89. The incident made national news and was being
used by the Communists to show how capitalism was ruthless. The New York Herald Tribune, reported
the story with the bold headline: “Welfarism Gone Mad.”
The IRS Chief of Collections
was forced to respond claiming he was unaware of the plowing situation. “Plowing
never occurred to me. I live in an apartment.” To show the
mentality of those who are bureaucrats, he then said: “We don’t ask
people their race or religion when we administer the tax laws. People have no
right to use their religion as an excuse not to pay taxes.”
The IRS was then compelled to
issue a press release in 1961, stating the Amish stance that “Social
Security payments, in their opinion, are insurance premiums and not taxes.
They, therefore, will not pay the ‘premium’ nor accept any of the benefits.”
The Amish met with the IRS
Commissioner in September, 1961 in Washington, DC, They cited several Bible
passages, including I Timothy 5:8, which says, “But if any provide not for his own, and especially
for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an
infidel.”
The public outrage at the conduct of
the IRS was international. The Amish argued they were entitled to an exemption
based on the First Amendment. The IRS agreed it would stop further seizures
until the case was settled. Now, senators promised to try to pass a bill in
Congress and everything stopped. The Amish hired a lawyer to challenge
this conflict between the taxing power and the First Amendment. However, as the
court date approached, they realized if they lost in court, it was over. They
then looked to Congress to pursue a legislative exemption.
Finally, in 1965, the Medicare
bill was passed by Congress. Congress realized that if the Amish went to court
and won, then others could challenge the right to tax conflicting with the
First Amendment. Congress quietly put in on page 138 a clause exempting the Old
Order Amish, and any other religious sect who conscientiously objected to
insurance, from paying Social Security payments, providing that sect had been
in existence since December 31, 1950. The Senate approved in July, and
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law on August 13, 1965.
The open question remains simply
this; the first explicit references to the tithe appear in Genesis 14, where
Abraham tithes to Melchizedek, and in Genesis 28, where Jacob promises to give
God “a full tenth.” But where did the idea to tithe come from? Many argue
Abraham and Jacob were simply following the customs of the surrounding nations.
But Scripture points in a different direction. In Genesis 26:5,
God says, “Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my
statutes, and my laws.” In the New Testament, Jesus upholds the tithe
in Matthew 23:23 (cf. Luke 11:42).
He condemns the Pharisees for their tedious commitment to one part of God’s
law, the tithe, while neglecting “the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and
faithfulness.” Then he states, “These you ought to have done, without
neglecting the others.”
One of the Five Pillars of Islam,
zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria
of wealth. This too is not a charitable contribution, but is considered to
be an obligatory tax or alms. The payment and disputes on zakat have also
been controversial in the history of Islam. The zakat is based on income and
the value of all of one’s possessions or property. It has been traditionally
set at 2.5% above a minimum amount known as nisab, which has also been greatly
debated.
In Judaeo-Christianity, the “tithe”
was a one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for
the support of the church and clergy in Christianity. The question is, does
exceeding the level prescribed as a “tithe” violate the First Amendment? If
true, then any income tax imposed beyond 10% would violate the First Amendment.
Since the Ten Commandments also prohibits coveting anything that belonged to a
neighbor including his wife or property, it would appear that Socialism
championed by Karl Marx violates the First Amendment and any tax should not
exceed 10%. Hence, progressive taxation would be unconstitutional if not a flat
tax. Some argue it also violates Equal Protection of the laws. The Tax at the
time of Jesus’s statement of give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, was less than 5%.
Historically during the Roman
Republic, the tax imposed was 1%. During time of war, the taxes would rise to
3%. Ever since Karl Marx, who said religion is the opium of the masses,
politicians have loved Marxism and used it to exploit the people to the point
governments are averaging now 40% of the entire economy. They have outpaced all
other businesses beating the bankers and multinational corporations. They have
become the 800 pound gorilla in the corner of the room nobody notices is even
there. Politicians always preach against the “rich” which increases the wealth
of government. As the IRS commented: “We don’t ask people their race or religion when we
administer the tax laws. People have no right to use their religion as an
excuse not to pay taxes.” This is obviously the spirit of Karl
Marx.
Categories: Corruption, The Hunt for Taxes
Tags: Amish, IRS, Social Security Act, Taxes, Valentine Byler
Tags: Amish, IRS, Social Security Act, Taxes, Valentine Byler
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/taxes/socialism-contradicts-freedom-of-religion-why-amish-do-not-pay-social-security-taxes/
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