Political Prisoner Irwin Schiff Has Died

By R. Brownell

On October 17th, prominent libertarian figure known for his resistance against the government’s income tax, died in prison. The Mises institute blog, Mises Wire, posted the following after receiving news of Schiff’s death:

Irwin Schiff, imprisoned for his resistance to the federal income tax, died yesterday. Efforts by his son, the noted financial commentator Peter Schiff, to secure his release from prison so that he could die with his family, were unsuccessful. Schiff’s sad passing illustrates an essential truth about the state: if you resist its orders, you will be dealt with by force.

During his life Schiff was an outspoken advocate against North Vietnamese supporters in the US, a best selling author, and candidate for the 1996 Libertarian Party presidential nomination. One of Schiff’s famous sayings was “the power to tax involves the power to destroy”.

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