If you properly file an accurate tax return but don't pay the taxes
owed and claim simply to not have the money to pay the taxes, have you
committed a crime?

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Request for Question Clarification by efn-ga on 28 Oct 2006 12:57 PDT

Probably, but to get a definitive answer, you should specify the
government that is collecting the tax (what nation, state, province,
county, city, arrondissement, borough, territory, duchy, or whatever).

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Clarification of Question by jeraboo-ga on 28 Oct 2006 13:25 PDT

US federal income taxes.

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Request for Question Clarification by hedgie-ga on 29 Oct 2006 08:28 PST

Oh Jeraboo

Could you please be more informative in describing your 
hypothetical scenarios?

Like : Do you owe any taxes? If you do not owe, you do not have to pay.

or

    Are you a US citizen, or resident (in the scenario )?  It makes a 
difference: many people do not pay US taxes. There is no 'debtor's prison'
in US. Most homeless people in US do not even file, und nothing happens to them.

Of course, if you are a resident of US, or not a citizen, just visiting,
- well, anything can happen ....


Hedgie

probably fraud, if you really do have the money.  otherwise, i think
it's a civil matter.

IRC section 6651(a)(2) imposes a failure to pay penalty. 

Internal Revenue Code lists the following as crimes punishable by
fines AND prison: making fraudulent statements in a tax return or
information return, making fraudulent statementsunder penalty of
perjury, and removing or concealing information with intent to
defraud.

What if you just don't pay your taxes but never lie to the IRS about
your financial situation? Is it fraud if you have money and don't pay
your phone bill?

"What if you just don't pay your taxes..."

The IRS can garnish your income (not just wages, mind you). There are
limits on what income can be garnished but the IRS holds all the cards
on that one. The IRS can notify banks to seize any money that gets
deposited. If you have no income, they can attach your property. If
you have no income and no property, you aren't gonna be filing tax
returns and are probably living under a bridge.

If you have stated you have no money to pay and continue to manage to
buy groceries or gasoline or cigarettes, they'll figure it out. If you
are being supported by someone the IRS can count that as income and
fix a dollar amount to it. Then the person supporting you will be
required to file withholding, FICA, etc.

Everybody not living under a bridge (and a few of those that are) has
something the IRS can get its claws into. Collection agents are
experts at their jobs and have all the time in the world to figure out
how folks are hiding money. Certainly they rarely waste time with
small fry but occasionally will-- just to keep everyone just a little
paranoid.

If you have done the returns correctly, as stated, you in fact have
actually earned the money. You do not get taxed on money you have
never earned. So what you have done is to spend the tax portion on
something else.
Of course you owe it. And you should have paid it.
No pay...Go directly to jail, do not collect $2oo.