This is an interview from The Kim Iversen Show
I do not vouch for the legal veracity of these claims (perhaps @siggy47 can weigh in), but it's very provacative.

Video Descriptions

Peymon Mottahedeh, an Iranian-born Jewish immigrant, moved to the United States in 1977 and became an American citizen in 1989. He founded the Freedom Law School in 1996 to educate citizens about their constitutional rights and empower them to stop paying federal taxes they do not legally owe. With a degree in Business/Marketing from the University of Long Beach and experience in the mortgage industry and financial planning, Mottahedeh has become a prominent speaker and educator known for his in-depth knowledge of the Federal Reserve, IRS, and federal tax laws. For over 30 years, he has openly not filed or paid federal taxes, successfully defending himself against multiple IRS investigations, and has inspired thousands through his educational campaigns and seminars.
They have the courts, police, military, etc. You can't flaunt things. Low key is the way.
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Yeah. This guy's made a career out of spreading his message about how to avoid federal taxes, as well as many state taxes, though.
I'm not sure why he's free and beat the IRS in court several times, when Irwin Schiff died in prison and routinely lost his court cases.
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Bro you still paying state taxes, consumption taxes and inflation tax, sit your ass down
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He's actually not paying most state taxes, because he lives in a state that uses the federal tax definitions, so his federal arguments apply at the state level.
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But wheres the blueprint, if its so easy lay out the game plan dude says nothing one can use practically. He gives me major sovcit vibes and when I get that I'm already dismissive over any claims people make
Like oh i'm going to show up with some tax code book point out some lines and my employers going to say okay removing deduction and shift it to your bank account sorry for the inconvenience
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Did you watch the video?
I thought he pretty clearly stated that the issue is signing a 1040. His assertion is that if you don't do that you don't have to pay.
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How do you avoid signing 1040?
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Just don't do it, as far as I can tell.
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So you file without signing?
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I think he's saying to not file either, but it's signing that opens you up to criminal charges.
I know I will piss off many people here, but as a lawyer and an active libertarian in my younger days, I was a magnet for people who were convinced they had a legal way to avoid paying taxes. I even attended a few events back in the day where Peter Schiff's dad was speaking. That didn't end well. One of my childhood heroes, Jerry Koosman of the Mets, got convinced and wound up doing time. I am skeptical. Even if the legal arguments are correct, the government won't permit their gravy train to get derailed. That's just me. To each his own.
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I find the logical inconsistencies with people who on the one hand believe the government is an evil criminal organization but also believe they will follow some technicality in the law interesting. I'm no expert but there are many examples of the state making and breaking third rules. Bad judgements. People being unjustly imprisoned. Do your own research, but I agree with you for me it isn't worth the tradeoff risk.
I also wonder how much time and wealth is lost by the effort to avoid taxes. On top of that you add a lot of risk of losing your freedom completely. The state creates many loopholes called the tax code. Do what the wealthy do. Use the system to your advantage. They will still be able to steal from you but there is much less risk.
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134 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 20 May
I agree. I always found that most of these legal tax avoidance guys hold "the law" to a much higher level of respect than is deserved, and certainly more than your average lawyer does. For some reason they suspend their often anarchistic leanings in this one small area by showing an odd reverence towards legal concepts.
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Bingo. It just blows my mind though. I mean look at the Constitution... even when it is clear attorneys and judges find ways around it. Another myth is that this is a modern thing. It goes back to early days. The state cheats and steals. They don't let the law get in the way.
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107 sats \ 5 replies \ @freetx 20 May
Yes.
As I mentioned in the past, I used to do IT consulting for a lawfirm(s)....and being tax lawyers, they occasionally had a "sovereign citizen" type that would appear and have some detailed explanation on why they didn't need to pay taxes.
It is as you say: In one breath they say (correctly) the gov is a mafia -- and in the next they mention some arcane clause of Admiralty law and say that if they utter these magic words it will cause the judge to be forced to rule with them. The lawyers would generally politely turn these people away as its a lost cause.
Reminds of the "This violates the Non-Aggression Principle" cartoon
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"Am I being detained". Another magic phrase you often hear.
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I am all for self sufficiency and independence but these sovereign individual characters live in a bubble 🫧 almost as bad a college professor with tenure.
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An artificial legal “person” is a dead entity. It is a legal fiction “persona” in the “theatre of commerce”, and it is under the foreign Admiralty Maritime Jurisdiction, the international “Law of the Sea”. On the contrary, you are born into your own sovereign Estate of body, mind, and soul. As a sentient man or woman you live within the sovereign Common Law Jurisdiction, the national “Law of the Land”.
Is there admiralty law in Switzerland?
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IRS audits violate the nonaggression principle!
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Great cartoon
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LOL this! FR, like damn all your monopoly on money and violence, this passage in this book says otherwise, wtf bro this isnt' some harry potter magic spell shit?
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You hint at a key point that hadn't occurred to me: if this is correct and practicable, why are the rich people with all their personal lawyers and accountants still paying federal taxes?
We know that they get away with all kinds of stuff, so wouldn't they get away with this?
Although, this also makes me think about all the government officials who turn out to have not been paying taxes. Maybe they do know this stuff and it does work, but they want to keep it quiet.
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I say this over and over again. The state is full of incompetent drones. I think these guys doing these tricks and getting away with it are mostly lucky.
I think the wealthy are different. Many actually do get caught breaking "the rules" but what we plebs don't get sometimes is that often the penalty is less than the benefit. They may pay a fine for doing something that resulted in more reward than the fine. I don't see wealthy people getting put in cages. They hire people to help they avoid that. But every once and a while the state makes an example like Wesley Snipes or Martha Stewart.
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One addendum I'd make is that sometimes people like this guy get lucky by drawing a judge who will listen to the technical legal arguments without regard to impact on the regime.
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That's kinda the point for me. I don't care if these people are correct.
  1. I know that taxes are immoral and that the legality of federal taxes is at best unclear.
  2. The tradeoffs of not paying taxes is getting thrown in a cage.
  3. Judges are a mixed bag. You might get lucky. You might not.
  4. I have zero interest in becoming a martyr for this cause.
  5. When the state is wrong, it is dangerous to be right.
  6. The general public will not have your back. They have been mind-controlled into believing taxation is NOT theft. Even those that might be sympathetic to my views in other areas.
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Good luck with citing arcane legal language to IRS
Impossible to defeat IRS
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This guy has beaten the IRS multiple times. The cases are posted on his website.
Arent they all supposed to? They arent supposed to rule on their feelings alone.
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Supposedly they're supposed to, but that's just not how human beings generally work.
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thats why the system is so fucked.
Completely inconsistent logic
It’s one thing to resist as a political or philosophical statement or act of civil disobedience like Thoreau
It’s quite another to resist and say it’s legal, the law is on our side!
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It's not inconsistent if you're right about the law being on your side.
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Big IF
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Considering he's won court cases against the IRS, it might not be that big of an if.
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I am pretty sure the tax laws would change pretty fast if no one filed their taxes.
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I don't know if you have ever gotten stuck arguing with one of these legal tax avoidance guys. Is it even a thing in Canada? I'm repeating myself, but the reverence for the law is astounding.
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No, we don't have loopholes like this in Canada. In Canada I usually just encourage people to register a business and write everything they can off. I don't know of any way to legally completely avoid filing taxes in Canada.
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I share your and @kepford's opinion on this, so my reaction to these people is usually "Cool story, bro". That usually prevents me from getting sucked into an argument about it.
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My mind always goes to Irwin Schiff as well.
It wouldn't surprise me if one guy has a system for legally avoiding taxes, but I also doubt they would allow this to become widespread.
The easiest and safest way to avoid federal taxes is just to move to one of the territories.
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Tax avoidance was a popular topic during the 1960s and 70s.
I wonder if IRS agents watch these videos for a laugh or two. Probably not because they know the law or how they interpret it is on their side.
Going to court is expensive. Any money gained via tax evasion or avoidance will be spent on accountants and lawyers and legal fees. Plus time spent.
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The legal arguments are not correct. At least not the ones I have heard.
They all fall into 3 categories:
  1. You don’t understand tax law
  2. You are not asserting your right not to pay federal income tax
  3. You lack balls
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This guy is great. Sadly we don't have such loopholes in the Dominion of Canada.
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Okay. I'll watch the video. I swore years ago I would never go down one of these rabbit holes again.
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The actual legal argument is really simple (as far as I can tell).
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A friend of mine never filed or paid a dime in taxes for 25 years on an incorporated business. They caught up with him, and filed civil assessments. They never charged him with a crime, but they took everything he owned. He is now an impoverished old man.
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21 sats \ 7 replies \ @Lux 20 May
citizens in disbelief..
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I know this is one of your issues. Is this guy's approach something you're familiar with?
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21 sats \ 5 replies \ @Lux 20 May
don't know the details of this guy's approach, but I imagine he just took the time to learn the law and is able to assert his rights, and has at least some balls :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UCcW0RoNdc
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21 sats \ 4 replies \ @Lux 20 May
i remember this guy from your vid, think he pops in Trump campaign, he's not the only one
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30 sats \ 1 reply \ @Hamstr 21 May
A few of the people in the youtube links that you posted up keep going on that this is a spiritual thing? Why is it that? if you're free- you're free. No need to bring god. Am I missing something? obw, will you not message me on nostr? I have an idea
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @Lux 21 May
like it or not, we are spiritual beings, and the law reflects that. The Bible is the basis of western law, has the highest standing in court. It's our choice what we believe or not.
It's a deep rabbit hole, and i like being in it. sorry for not nostring and ignoring you, please send me here a msg if you want
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20 sats \ 1 reply \ @Hamstr 21 May
hey look at what I found! whatcha think? https://www.youtube.com/embed/ME7K6P7hlko?t=302
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @Lux 21 May
this is usually one of the first videos that one watches. good introduction
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Interesting, but how much does he made?
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I don't know. I hope he makes enough for those tax savings to offset his legal fees.
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I wonder if he even makes enough to bother filing taxes..lol
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I imagine so, since the IRS has taken him to court several times and lost all of their criminal cases.
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Looks like one of his appeals failed last year, but trying to sift through search results (especially with all the SEO he's got) is tough.
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He says in the interview that he lost one civil case with the IRS, but they never even attempted to bill him.
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If it's the '23 case, I could see it not having happened yet (the IRS wheels turn slowly). But at risk of saying the obvious here, just because he says he wasn't billed doesn't mean he wasn't. One of the first things to pop up when searching for him or Freedom Law School is a conviction that he tried to help someone avoid, but failed.
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You're absolutely right.
The reason I don't find his claim about not being billed unbelievable is that the IRS got their court win, which is probably what they really wanted.
Billing him would open up an opportunity for him to relitigate the issue by not paying that bill. If his argument has held up in court multiple times, then it's probably not worth risking that you might lose the precedent that was just won, if you're the IRS.
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and it might not be worth their time and effort. especially if they are chasing pennies on the dollar.
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