Why Withholding Your Taxes in Protest Could Actually Help Trump and Musk

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It’s tax season, and if you’re upset about how things are going in government right now, you might be tempted to protest by withholding your taxes. After all, conservatives had their Tea Party moment. Why shouldn’t those opposed to the efforts of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to dismantle the government, alienate our allies, and degrade America’s standing in the world have their own? But there are a few reasons why this would be a bad idea.

As a preliminary matter, the tea party reference just doesn’t work. True, the taxes the original tea partiers protested were tariffs, and tariffs are one of the many things people are protesting today. However, the original tea partiers dumped the imported tea into the harbor rather than purchase the goods and pay the tariffs. No one seems to be suggesting that we dump imports into the harbor. If nothing else, the environmentalists would have a fit!

While not filing or paying taxes is a more environmentally friendly form of protest, it would have its own issues. For one thing, the tax revenues at issue in 1775 were to be sent to England. Any forgone tax revenues now would affect our own government, which builds our roads and pays for our defense, education, etc. If your complaint is that you want more government, not less, reducing government revenues by refusing to pay your taxes is an odd way to go about it. Any tax protest now would hurt us, not some foreign power.

But if you’re still considering it, here are a few more things to consider.

The first is philosophical. Tax protests have a long history in the U.S., ranging from the Whiskey Rebellion to a variety of anti-war protests. The former was a protest against a tax, while the latter were aimed at U.S. foreign policy. Folks today are contemplating the second kind of protest, though they are angered by a wide array of government actions, ranging from tariffs and foreign policy to the decisions to fire government workers and dismantle agencies, and efforts to cut research funding and dictate to colleges and universities what can and cannot be taught. (The full list of things one might protest is too long to get into fully here.)

The question is: When are protests warranted? We have a democratic government, where the majority gets to set policy and decide what to spend money on and how much. When does disagreement with government policy rise to the level that it justifies a refusal to pay taxes? We could all identify something that might inspire us to protest, whether from the left or the right: war, abortion, guns, the death penalty, NPR. The list goes on. The problem is: We are either committed to our democratic process or we are not. It would be ironic for those outraged about the attack on the rule of law to protest by … ignoring the law.

The second consideration is strategic. In many ways, it is like the conundrum the Senate Democrats just faced regarding the government shutdown. Trump and Musk are determined to shrink the government workforce and slash government spending. I’m not saying the Dems were right to support the continuing resolution, but a government shutdown could well have strengthened Trump’s hand. The government needs more money, not less. Folks are already predicting the loss of $500 billion based on what DOGE is doing to the IRS. A refusal to pay taxes would only exacerbate these losses and could make it easier for Republicans to argue for deeper cuts.

Finally, there are the financial and legal consequences. Civil protest can be a powerful tool, bringing attention to injustice and bad government policy. But no matter how just the cause, it does not permit folks to break the law with impunity. Failure to file and pay taxes can lead to two different penalties and interest charges that can outstrip the amount owed if enough time passes. It can even lead to criminal charges and prison. Just ask Hunter Biden.

And don’t think that you might get away with it because the IRS will be seriously understaffed. If you’re a working stiff with a W-2 and some 1099s, the government already has most of your tax information, and the collection process associated with that information is largely automated. The sad fact is that reducing the IRS’s auditing capacity will primarily degrade its ability to go after the wealthy, leaving the rest of us holding the bag.

No one enjoys paying taxes under the best of circumstances. And refusing to pay to advance one’s cause can make it all seem noble. But it is not that simple. Nothing ever is. So, feel free to fantasize about standing up to the man and refusing to pay your taxes. You can even imagine yourself wearing a tricorne hat. However, to paraphrase Michelle Obama, if you’re worried or upset about what’s going on today, do something … else.