7 ms·

Failure to file tax returns.

smt88 12y ago
I understand that no single person was harmed specifically, but that's not 100% a victimless crime. Other people's tax dollars went toward uncovering your failure, investigating you, filing charges, taking you through the court system, and then incarcerating you. That probably required far more money than you owed in taxes in the first place.
- xtrumanx 12y ago
  I don't think you understand the term victimless crime. By your definition no crime is a victimless crime since all crime costs money to investigate.
  - davidw 12y ago
    The 'victim' is society at large, I guess. Imagine a country with 5 people, where 1 of them doesn't pay their share of taxes. Everyone else is that much poorer in terms of money available to spend on public projects. Or: imagine if no one paid their taxes. Jail time sounds kind of harsh where a fine might do, but we don't know the details, and that's not what the person is asking about anyway.
    - fsk 12y ago
      Taxation is theft! Imagine a country of 5 people where 3 of them thought they were allowed to break into the home of the other 2 and take whatever they wanted and spend it on whatever they wanted. But back to the OP, "failure to file taxes" usually can be settled for a fine. It seems unusual for jail. (Even though I know that taxation is theft, I still do what the crazy people with the guns insist I do.)
  - brudgers 12y ago
    That a person holds an opinion contrary to yours with regard to what constitutes a victimless crime in no way implies a lack of understanding. In the case of tax evasion it simply is a manifestation of a different set of values in regard to citizenship and the role of government.
- informatimago 12y ago
  ok. So shouldn't "we" the people, incarcerate those who tracked this failre, investigated, filled charges, processed thru the court system and incarcerated, for the money so ill-spent?
  - smt88 12y ago
    No. "We" (society) have decided to spend money to create consequences for breaking our laws. (Whether or not they're good laws is a separate issue.) So as citizens who don't want to be murdered or stolen from, the investigation/incarceration/etc. is a service being provided to us. In this case, you could debate how serious failure to pay taxes is, but as someone who pays his taxes, I still don't want someone else to avoid the same burden. There certainly have been societies without police or a civilian legal system, and there was a lot of violent crime (and very little of what we would call justice) in those societies. The Roman Republic is one example.
davidw 12y ago
Ouch... Out of curiosity, how many did you skip and the magnitude of payments that you missed?
- elwell 12y ago
  I would be very interested in this as well.

smt88 12y ago

I understand that no single person was harmed specifically, but that's not 100% a victimless crime. Other people's tax dollars went toward uncovering your failure, investigating you, filing charges, taking you through the court system, and then incarcerating you. That probably required far more money than you owed in taxes in the first place.

xtrumanx 12y ago
I don't think you understand the term victimless crime. By your definition no crime is a victimless crime since all crime costs money to investigate.
- davidw 12y ago
  The 'victim' is society at large, I guess. Imagine a country with 5 people, where 1 of them doesn't pay their share of taxes. Everyone else is that much poorer in terms of money available to spend on public projects. Or: imagine if no one paid their taxes. Jail time sounds kind of harsh where a fine might do, but we don't know the details, and that's not what the person is asking about anyway.
  - fsk 12y ago
    Taxation is theft! Imagine a country of 5 people where 3 of them thought they were allowed to break into the home of the other 2 and take whatever they wanted and spend it on whatever they wanted. But back to the OP, "failure to file taxes" usually can be settled for a fine. It seems unusual for jail. (Even though I know that taxation is theft, I still do what the crazy people with the guns insist I do.)
- brudgers 12y ago
  That a person holds an opinion contrary to yours with regard to what constitutes a victimless crime in no way implies a lack of understanding. In the case of tax evasion it simply is a manifestation of a different set of values in regard to citizenship and the role of government.
informatimago 12y ago
ok. So shouldn't "we" the people, incarcerate those who tracked this failre, investigated, filled charges, processed thru the court system and incarcerated, for the money so ill-spent?
- smt88 12y ago
  No. "We" (society) have decided to spend money to create consequences for breaking our laws. (Whether or not they're good laws is a separate issue.) So as citizens who don't want to be murdered or stolen from, the investigation/incarceration/etc. is a service being provided to us. In this case, you could debate how serious failure to pay taxes is, but as someone who pays his taxes, I still don't want someone else to avoid the same burden. There certainly have been societies without police or a civilian legal system, and there was a lot of violent crime (and very little of what we would call justice) in those societies. The Roman Republic is one example.

davidw 12y ago

Ouch... Out of curiosity, how many did you skip and the magnitude of payments that you missed?

elwell 12y ago
I would be very interested in this as well.