Incredibly, under the legislation, the IRS would not need to prove or even officially charge that a person owes taxes to hold them hostage within U.S. borders — just an unsubstantiated allegation would be enough. There is also no way of challenging the IRS’ claims or of seeking access to due process, according to analysts. And with some 70,000 pages, nobody — not even those charged with enforcing it — truly understands the whole U.S. tax code.
However, the measure — which at first will apply only to individuals accused of owing $50,000 or more — does include exceptions on the foreign-travel ban for emergencies, “humanitarian” purposes, and for those who are in the process of paying in a "timely" manner. Perhaps coincidentally, the total U.S. government debt divided by the number of Americans works out to about $50,000 owed per citizen — not including the tens or even hundreds of trillions in unfunded liabilities.
Still, despite the travel “exceptions,” experts say the whole scheme is unconstitutional and represents a blatant violation of due process rights. "It takes away your right to enter or exit the country based upon a non-judicial IRS determination that you owe taxes," constitutional attorney Angel Reyes explained to Fox Business. "It's a scary thought that our congressional representatives want to give the IRS the power to detain US citizens over taxes, which could very well be in dispute."
A financial expert also told Fox that the unconstitutional provision would apply to an alarmingly high number of people — especially in the wake of the economic crisis. And in the coming years, as jobs continue to evaporate and the value of the dollar continues to sink, more and more people will likely be affected by the travel ban.
The controversial provision is part of Senate Bill 1813: legislation supposedly crafted “to reauthorize Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs, and for other purposes.” Apparently one of the many “other purposes” is to trap individuals accused of not paying taxes within the country, as analysts and experts have long warned would happen eventually.
The original bill was introduced last year by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), with the passport amendment added in March by Sen. Reid — reportedly at the behest of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Despite the fact that it extracts billions of dollars from taxpayers with new and increased “fees” and taxes, it was passed overwhelmingly in the Senate last month with just 22 voting against.
However, the massive bill is expected to meet stronger opposition in the GOP-controlled House. And as the outcry over the dangerous passport amendment continues to grow across the political spectrum, resistance is expected to escalate.
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