Yeah, this might turn into a “series.” Mainly because the topic, when it comes to government, is like shooting fish in a barrel. Which I’m sure the government would find a way to tax you on, or partner with the barrel maker or fish supplier or the gun manufacturer – yes, the government would celebrate the 2nd Amendment if it found a way to make money on it.

Come to think of it, taxing everything involved in firearms is the main way government celebrates the second amendment. The only other way the government even recognizes the second amendment is to slowly, and surely, infringe on our inalienable right to keep and bear arms. Perhaps that infringement will become another column in this series, but for now this column will be all rigged up about something not found in the Constitution as written in 1787: our tax system.

You know, the one you get to participate in by mandate, but get no input in by design.

And please spare me any references about having representation when it comes to the federal government and taxes. I assure you, our founders would be exercising their second amendment rights long ago given the job your congress-critter does when it comes to “taxation without representation.” It is today what it was back then: tyranny.

Yes, that’s “right back atcha” to anyone elected from the 3rd Congressional District since I’ve lived here and whatever districts I lived in back home in Michigan. Why? Simple. Tax laws are written, mandated and in effect to the benefit of one entity and one entity only. And that entity isn’t the smallest minority in our country: the taxpaying individual, whose number falls annually because fewer and fewer people pay taxes each year.

It’s all to the benefit of our imperial federal government.

Now you can say, “But Craig, didn’t President Trump pass the largest tax cut in history?” And you’d be correct. And while that sounds great (to garner votes), what else has every tax cut in history been shown to do? That’s right, increase revenues. So, who benefits? Sure, some folks do, but in the end, the government benefits the most because government only does things to its benefit. And when a business or entrepreneur sees a way to expand or grow through a lower tax rate, the end result is more tax revenue for the government. Which means more government spending to buy votes to pass more “tax law” to benefit government, so it can spend more to buy votes to maintain power to “tweak” (what a great word to describe what government does) tax law to get more government revenue.

By the way, the only reason we can have a huge tax cut is if confiscatory taxes are out of control. It works the same way when they claim to “cut the deficit.”

And the wheels on the bus go round and round. Don’t think so? Can you name the last time government revenue increased and it cut spending? Stop. It’s rhetorical. It’s also proven via the only real “hockey stick” graph in existence, the one showing federal debt.

And even though this week’s rant is more general, allow me to be more specific about its origin in my latest discovery about the rigging on the tax system. Ironically, it is the result of me paying my taxes for 2024 on time, and in the same manner as I paid my taxes for 2023.

Let’s harken back to yesteryear – or in this scenario, Oct. 15, 2025 – to the day I mailed in the payment for my taxes for 2024. First off, I believe it is the DUTY of every American taxpayer to pay as little in taxes as possible and make our payments at the latest possible date, because really, that’s about the only rights we have when it comes to “rendering to Caesar” in the modern day. So naturally, that’s how I do my taxes.

But last year, apparently it backfired because of the efficiency of another taxpayer-funded, mammoth (fiscal and government) failure known as the United States Postal Service. You see, I mailed my payments on October 15th to both the Colorado Department of Revenue and the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS). I mailed them early in the day to assure the payments (in the form of cashier’s checks) would be postmarked accordingly and therefore on time. After all, that’s how it’s been done in America for millions of taxpayers for ages.

Or don’t you remember the line of cars off Patterson until midnight with postal workers manning the spot where the mailboxes are on April 15th?

Need more proof the IRS was okey-dokey (until now) with the whole postmark deal? It just passed a law stating it cannot guarantee an April 15 postmark on IRS payments to payments dropped in the mail on April 15 any longer. Wanna know how I know? They just did it to me. They just randomly decided to put this into effect on me a year early. Probably because of my column. They have to be watching me.

I know this for several reasons. The first came in the form of a letter – another way the IRS adds interest and penalties in abundance, because it takes weeks, if not months, to generate a letter – telling me I failed to pay my taxes on time. In the letter it showed my only payment as the taxes deducted from my paychecks. So basically, the IRS was telling me I failed to make my payment, even though, very purposefully yet disrespectfully, I did. Then, about a month later I got another letter, this time telling me I made my payment late, showing penalties and interest already added, mainly because the process has taken too long.

I then sent in my appeal to the late payment letter. To which the IRS took its time in responding. I can only assume letters of appeal are placed into a “special file” to be ignored, so the IRS can send out “intent to levy” notices while taxpayer’s appeals generate more penalties and interest as they await a response from their appeal to this injustice via, ironically, the USPS.

At least I know my appeal was received. Why? Because I just got another letter from the IRS telling me I can’t use the form it told me to use to appeal, because penalties had been applied to my tax issue and therefore my appeal has been forwarded to the “appropriate collections office,” which handles appeals appealed in error on the wrong form, due to penalties. But given its title, I don’t feel like my efforts will do much good. In the meantime, penalties and interest continue to accrue, according to my “Collection Appeal Rights.”

Another right not found in our Constitution.

And to think, all of this could have been avoided if the IRS had done what the Colorado Department of Revenue did correctly: considered my payment on time based on the rules of the game on Oct. 15, 2025.

Then again, that’s why the IRS changed the rules. Part of the privilege of being the rule-maker (read elected leader). After all, money laundering for votes has only one need: money. Which never works out for the little guy funding the scheme. We just hope to survive. After all, you can’t buy votes blaming the Forgotten Man. The ultimate confiscators know this. That’s why they spend so much time blaming billionaires and corporations for not “paying their fair share.” All over a couple of hundred bucks. I wonder: How many others are they doing this to?

Folks, we ALL are paying our “unfair share” to leaders who care not one wit in overspending if it keeps them in power. This is simply the latest scheme I discovered. I’m sure they have more that I pray I never find out about.

If you still think this isn’t about power and money, ask yourself: Why is it your tax payment is considered late at midnight on the 16th of your filing month while your vote is considered on time up to a week after the first Tuesday in November?

In Truth and freedom.

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of The Business Times. Reach him at 424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com