Free Republic

Questions Surround Sheriff's Use Of Confiscated Cash Story by wftv.com -- VIDEO: Sheriff's Department Uses Seized Money In Questionable Ways ORLANDO, Fla. -- When deputies make a big drug bust, it might turn into a windfall for taxpayers. Confiscated cash can pay for new deputies and overtime. But records obtained by Channel 9 show Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary let your tax dollars cover those expenses. The agency used seized money, critics say, to curry favor rather than put cops on the street. From t-shirts for kids, to donations to religious groups, to contributions to the Association to Preserve Eatonville,...

The seizure of $27,000 by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department during a traffic stop in March has raised questions about the scope of the state's asset forfeiture laws. The money, which has since been returned to the owners, was seized during a routine stop on Interstate 55 when a deputy found it in a plastic bag in the vehicle's trunk. A thorough search of the vehicle after the discovery failed to find any controlled substances or illegal contraband, but deputies took the money under the state's money-laundering statute. Advertisement The money-laundering statute passed by the Mississippi legislature in 1998 allows...

The Arlington County Treasurer's office has a new weapon in the fight to collect unpaid property taxes and parking tickets. A handheld camera is raking in $871 an hour for the county. The camera snaps license plates of parked cars. If the vehicle's owner owes money on unpaid property taxes or parking tickets -- a computer informs the camera's operator who then stops the county van and disables the debtor's vehicle. If you're caught by the new camera in Arlington County, you have JUST THREE DAYS to pay off your debt. If you don't, your car is put on the...

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Election Commission has declared Rep. Dennis Kucinich qualified to receive federal matching funds, making the Ohio congressman eligible for up to $18.6 million, the FEC said Wednesday. Candidates must meet FEC requirements to qualify, including raising a threshold amount of $100,000 by collecting $5,000 in 20 different states in amounts no greater than $250 from any individual. They also must agree to an overall spending limit, abide by spending limits in each state, use public funds only for legitimate campaign-related expenses, keep financial records, and permit an extensive campaign audit. The FEC said in a statement...

Norwood City Council decided Tuesday to take nine different properties by using eminent domain. The declaration from Norwood council means the homes and businesses near Edwards Road will be taken for a new development. All but nine homes and business owners have agreed to sell to a developer who is planning on a $125 million expansion of Rookwood Commons mall. Earlier Tuesday, those nine home and business owners filed a suit, refusing to sell saying their neighborhood isn't blighted. The neighbors still holding-out are asking a judge to step in and stop the city from going any further.

There are enough tax evaders to elect a government! Three out of four Canadians (77%) say they are determined to evade taxes. 42% said they had already evaded taxes. (COMPAS poll, Financial Post, June 3, 1995) “Evading taxes” means escaping taxes by illegal means. It includes such things as hiding income from the government, smuggling cigarettes or liquor, buying smuggled goods and secretly paying cash to escape sales taxes. If a party got 77% of the vote, it would be a landslide. Even 42% is usually enough to elect a government. Voting is safe, and tax evasion is threatened with...

Thanks to a deal with the Pataki and Giuliani administrations, The New York Times Company is in line to get a choice midtown property at tens of millions of dollars below market value—and city taxpayers will foot the difference, newly disclosed records show. Under the deal Governor George Pataki announced December 13, the state-controlled Empire State Development Corporation will use its power of condemnation to take the property from its unwilling private owners and turn it over to the Times for a 52-story corporate headquarters along Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st streets. The outlines of the deal were reported...

Which statement best reflects your view of taxes and/or the IRS? Tax on income is unconstitutional 41.53% (375) We should have a flat-tax system 23.26% (210) Abolish the IRS, it's inefficient and dangerous 15.39% (139) Cut tax rates bigtime, and watch revenues to government rise 9.86% (89) I would rather see tariffs than federal income tax 6.64% (60) Other 1.44% (13) I wouldn't mind higher taxes if the money were used effectively 0.66% (6) The IRS has some problems but they can be fixed 0.66% (6) I'm satisfied with our current tax system, rates 0.33% (3) We need to raise...