&Quot;Internal Revenue Service&Quot;

Was a "new stimulus program" providing "millions of Americans" with "free health care" and $500 monthly "credits ... just announced"? No, that's not true: U.S. government resources don't mention a new round of stimulus payments for health care needs being approved. The claim appeared on Facebook on December 14, 2022. The caption said: This New Program Is Changing The Lives…

Is there no law requiring American citizens to file an annual 1040 income tax return or to pay income tax on their labor? No, that's not true: The U.S. Constitution's 16th Amendment, ratified in 1913, authorizes Congress to collect income tax. By law, the Internal Revenue Service can exact penalties for failing to file a 1040 form. The claim appeared…

Was there a gunfight between federal agents and U.S. Marines at the Federal Reserve headquarters in Washington, D.C., on November 8, 2022? No, that's not true: A public information officer for the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. told Lead Stories that this claim was not accurate. The claim of a gunfight came from Real Raw News, a website that…

Did the Internal Revenue Service donate thousands of dollars to the campaign of Katie Hobbs, the Democratic candidate for governor of Arizona? No, that's not true: The U.S. government agency told Lead Stories in an email that "it does not contribute to political campaigns in any way, shape or form." In addition, the payment on the Hobbs campaign's financial report…

Did Americans keep "100%" of their earnings up until 1913? Not exactly: While the 16th Amendment, which taxed individual income, was ratified in 1913, some higher-earning Americans paid income taxes between 1862 and 1872 to pay off the cost of the Civil War to the U.S. government. A tax expert with whom Lead Stories spoke listed additional pre-1913 taxes that…

Are Federal Reserve notes -- commonly known as paper money -- just "obligations" and therefore exempt from taxes? And does the U.S. Constitution say gold and silver are the only form of "lawful money" to be used in paying debts? No, neither of those claims are true. The Constitution does not specify any particular form of currency, and under federal…

Did the IRS just begin buying ammunition during President Joe Biden's time in office? No, that's not true: The IRS started buying ammunition, firearms and equipment for its law enforcement divisions more than 100 years ago. It's standard for federal agencies that have many federal law enforcement officers to buy ammunition, firearms and equipment. The claim appeared in an article…

Are a series of U.S. financial laws rattled off in a social media video the "six infinity stones" to "snap away your problems"? No, that's not true: The laws mentioned in the 54-second video define aspects of America's financial system and how it operates but the man listing them provides no context and fails to explain how any of the…

Has the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published material explaining that people who steal property must report that stolen property in their taxes? Yes, it has: The summary, located in Publication 17, an informational guide for federal income taxpayers, is the result of the tax laws -- or the lack thereof -- that determine what income is or is not tax-exempt.…

Does the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have a plan in place to instruct employees on how to proceed after a disaster such as a nuclear bomb explosion? Yes, it does: Like other executive government departments and agencies, the IRS is required to detail its guidelines for continuity operations. The claim was implied in a Facebook post reposted from TikTok on…