Believe it or not, for once the US government did something damaging, which it promised would be a temporary thing, and it actually has made good on the promise.
The tax on phone lines imposed to pay for the Spanish-American War in 1898 is being lifted. Apparently the Spanish-American War is now all paid up.
Of course, this is only after being ordered to do so by the courts, and the IRS losing five separate appeals on the matter (why is the IRS so hellbent on keeping the Spanish-American War going???) but it even includes, I am crapping you negative, a $15 billion refund on phone taxes paid in between the original court order and the final appeal lost. (Wouldn't it be nice if you were immune to cease & desist orders the way the government is, and could just keep on doing something you wanted to do even if under a court order not to do it, utterly without consquence?)
Of course, the refund will come from inflation, debt and further taxation, so they'd be just as well writing it off, but still ... sure is nice on those rare occasions when humans win against statists.
Phaedrus
The tax on phone lines imposed to pay for the Spanish-American War in 1898 is being lifted. Apparently the Spanish-American War is now all paid up.
Of course, this is only after being ordered to do so by the courts, and the IRS losing five separate appeals on the matter (why is the IRS so hellbent on keeping the Spanish-American War going???) but it even includes, I am crapping you negative, a $15 billion refund on phone taxes paid in between the original court order and the final appeal lost. (Wouldn't it be nice if you were immune to cease & desist orders the way the government is, and could just keep on doing something you wanted to do even if under a court order not to do it, utterly without consquence?)
Of course, the refund will come from inflation, debt and further taxation, so they'd be just as well writing it off, but still ... sure is nice on those rare occasions when humans win against statists.
Phaedrus