Margaret Milner Richardson loses her breakfast...

>From the Wall Street Journal Wednesday October 2, Page 1:

Use of the internet to attract tax-dodgers rings alarm bells at the IRS.
The rapidly expanding new worlds of the internet and electronic money are
stirring deep concern at the IRS. "We know that some foriegn banks are now
using the internet to solicit new customers with promises of complete
anonymity and a haven from all taxes," IRS commissioner Margaret Milner
Richardson said. She said this issue is being "carefully monitored" by tax
administrators around the world.

Ms. Richardson, in a recent speech, cited a world-wide-web advertisement
offering a "one-of-a-kind book" covering topics such as, "Banking in
Silence" and offering information on setting up an offshore trust that
"could include protection from a large IRS assessment." Ms. Richardson's
reaction: "I almost take that personally." Another ad touts "excellent
interest rates, offered in a stable, tax-free environment...Clients
communicate with the bank any time from anywhere via the internet."

Ms. Richardson said: "How would you like to be responsible for
administering tax laws and have to read these ads over breakfast?"


Cheers,
Bob Hettinga

-----------------
Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com)
e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"'Bart Bucks' are not legal tender."
                -- Punishment, 100 times on a chalkboard,
                       for Bart Simpson
The e$ Home Page: http://www.vmeng.com/rah/

On Thu, 3 Oct 1996, Robert Hettinga wrote:

> >From the Wall Street Journal Wednesday October 2, Page 1:
> 
> Use of the internet to attract tax-dodgers rings alarm bells at the IRS.

Shh, be vewy vewy quiet, I've got a guy subscribing to my filtered list 
from the IRS. :)  (I'm not forwarding tax evasion stuff since it's not 
cpunx related, but still...)

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At 5:01 pm -0400 10/11/96, Ray Arachelian wrote:

> Shh, be vewy vewy quiet, I've got a guy subscribing to my filtered list
> from the IRS. :)  (I'm not forwarding tax evasion stuff since it's not
> cpunx related, but still...)

Ah. Somehow, this reminds me of an old Warner Brothers' cartoon spoof of
Wagnerian opera, with Bugs as Brunhilde, and Elmer sproinging along behind
singing "Kill the Wabbit, Kill the Wabbit, ..." etc., to the tune of "The
Ride of the Valkyries".

If you do a "who cypherpunks" to majordomo@toad.com, you see all sorts of
fun addresses. (Hi, Elvis!) Hell, I've got feds and spooks all over e$pam,
my filtered *super*set of cypherpunks and a bunch of other e$ lists, and
that's to just 200 folks or so. Also, if you think cypherpunks is a
firehose, you should see e$pam. I'm probably the only filter of cypherpunks
that is actually *bigger*. ("It don't say 'e$pam' until Bob says it says
'e$pam'"). Kawika Daguio of the ABA tells me he has his secretary print it
out every morning and put it in a *binder* so he can read it.

Hell, I zinged that Maggy Ric^h^h^hhards^hon breakfast puppy right out
there to e$pam *first*, before it went to cypherpunks, even.


More fun with numbers,
Bob Hettinga

-----------------
Robert Hettinga (rah@shipwright.com)
e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"The cost of anything is the foregone alternative" -- Walter Johnson
The e$ Home Page: http://www.vmeng.com/rah/

Robert Hettinga writes:
> Ms. Richardson said: "How would you like to be responsible for
> administering tax laws and have to read these ads over breakfast?"

I'd love it. Imagine the increases in enforcement budgets...

.pm

On Thu, 3 Oct 1996, Robert Hettinga wrote:

> Ms. Richardson said: "How would you like to be responsible for
> administering tax laws and have to read these ads over breakfast?"

My heart bleeds for her :-) [what's the smiley for a huge grin?]

--Lucky