Buy Health Insurance or Face a Jail Term

up to one year or $25,000 fine. Which would you like?

Politico's Live Pulse - Breaking news on health care fights has this juicy article:

Ensign receives handwritten confirmation
(Carrie Budoff Brown, 9/25/09 Politico Live Pulse)

"This doesn't happen often enough.

"Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.

"Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it "Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold."

"The note was a follow-up to Ensign's questioning at the markup."

The handwritten note says this:

"Section 7203 of the Code provides that if there is a willful failure to file, pay, maintain appropriate record and the like, the taxpayer may be charged with misdemeaner with a penalty of up to $25000 or not more than one year in jail."

The "Code" the note refers to is Internal Revenue Code. Section 7203 is about "Willful failure to file return, supply information, or pay tax".

President Obama has said the penalty for not having an insurance is not a tax. Then why is his health care "reform" setting IRS, tax collecter, to hunt down the "violators"?

Pants on fire, Mr. President?

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