Cam, you qualify your statement with "based on what I know", but it's obvious to me that you don't know enough of the facts of the law on this subject. Besides criminal prosecution, taxation, investments and estate planning has been my main area of legal practice, and I'd no more countenance a government robbing with an "illegal" tax than I would a sleeze doing it with a gun. Questions about whether the present income tax, or any income tax for that matter, is "fair" are a valid subject for debate(but political, social, etc. questions don't belong here to needlessly arouse antagonisms), but whether it's legal is a well-settled matter. Hundreds of cases, including several in the U.S. Supreme Court, have unambiguously ruled on the various claims raised. Probably the best online source is
this "Tax Protester FAQ" by Atty. Evans, which I've cited on another board in furnishing financial and legal assistance. It's very lengthy, but you should be informed on the subject since you have an interest in it.