In my work as a former federal tax attorney, I saw firsthand that our nations tax laws are hard to understand and undermine the countrys prosperity by imposing needlessly harsh penalties on work, savings, and investments.
Tell that to Marvin Manypenny, a Native American activist in Minnesota who failed to pay taxes on three years of wages totaling $30,650. Bachmann took him to federal court in 1992. Manypenny worked at the Youth Project, described in court records as a public foundation with a 17-year history of building citizen participation organizations around the country committed to social justice and peace. The resident of the White Earth Indian Reservation contended he was exempt from income taxes because of the April 8, 1867 land treaty between his Chippewa Indian ancestors and the U.S. government.
He met Bachmann briefly in the federal court building in St. Paul. She was veryhow do I put this?haughty and curt, the 64-year-old Manypenny told National Journal in a telephone interview. I tried to state my contentions to her and it was like talking to a brick wall.
The court didnt accept Manypennys argument, either. While the treaty exempted Indian-owned land from taxes, it did not exempt individuals. We give no credence to petitioners contention that he and the land are one, the court ruled.
