Well, this one is about money, but the parallel works.
What do you do, if you have the money for a new car, house, boat, but making a transaction like that would bring down the full wrath of the governmental agency? A few comments then on to this post.
Infectious Rash on Society source
Coming up on my one year birthday here.
I wanted to check in. I cannot believe I have been on Steemit for nearly a year. So much has happened, including my break from posting. I never left, just spent less time in front of the computer.
For those who may not know me.
It has been a while since I posted so - a quick re-introduction. I came to the platform with a lot of investment, good faith, and cheer, trying to make it a fun place to be. I used to be in the top one hundred for SP value on steemwhales.com and I enjoyed letting others use my voting power, try it out, hoping they would invest. I was also the first to delegate voting power via the #takemyvotes tag as part of a contest.
steemwhales list, an old screenshot
Winners got to run around and upvote huge dollar amounts onto their own posts and friends posts or comments using my voting power for an entire evening. Those were some fun times. Now delegation has been incorporated in the code for Steemit. People buy delegated power or rent it - not sure how that works but it does not sound as fun.
I am still here, still voting, still heavily invested, but without all my eggs in one basket. I like to keep some of my steem on the decentralized exchange called bitshares or openledger. I moved the rest into inactive wallets in order to avoid attracting so much attention, both positive and negative. I would love to create some kind of contest like I had before. I no longer have whale power on this account so I guess I would have to make the contest for SBD or something (open to suggestions).
This post
Money Money, but No Way To Spend It
Well, that is how I feel. I quit working many years ago. I have not earned or used dollars for over five years so I do not pay taxes to the US of A (Unidentifiable Society of Arguments). I have no visible income in the country where I live, so no taxes here either. I am excited that bitcoin, dash, steem and now bitshares have provided a way for me to be invisible. I can spend as much as I want to. No worries about paying bills or even rent. One rule. You can only buy things like; a night out, a new cell phone, a bike, electronics, clothes, or even a vacation within the country. Nothing that requires a name or registration.
So as nice as that might be, houses and cars are out of the question. They must be registered. The problem is that the money builds up and one starts thinking about having those things that would require registration.
Long ago, while working, I had been audited both in Obama-land and here. Survived them both because I am not a criminal. But here is the rub! Things that are not a crime, may be criminal at some future date. The last G20 meeting was very much about bringing bitcoin under control. Disclaimer: I own no bitcoins. Sold out when the network was slow and expensive for an entire year.
I have lived happily and invisible, quit using banks, and blend right into this cash society. I have to rent a place to live and landlords can be fickle. I found that it is good to use gold and silver (to sell when crypto is down), use only cash for everything, which is pretty normal where I live. I have a long line of regular investors that love to buy crypto-currencies, so cash is never in short supply. But again, you find yourself wanting your own house, property or a car.
People think money is the cure all.
I met with a regular crypto-buyer the other day. I am not selling coins at these lows, but we had coffee and talked. He said, "Man, you are so lucky. If I were you, I would have a Lambo. That seems to be the preferred car of all the early bitcoin adopters." I responded, "How about I put it in your name and you let me take it out once in a while. Where would you say that you got the money from?" He thought for a minute, then changed the subject. I rephrased the question. I told him how he would be in trouble with the tax authorities if he were the one buying that car. He could not think past the idea of getting a Lambo. No matter how I put it, he did not understand how buying a car would be a problem.
I mean I could buy a car or a house. It would likely be something simple. But I have had those letters arrive from the Irrational Robbery Scam before. It feels like a real life flag, but not on your content. This flag hits your home, your bills, pulling back the curtain to find out how much your have (so they can take it). For now, the IRS is only interested in bitcoin and killing Coinbase. I don't really want to stir up the Steem/SBD can of worms.
Depositing the wrong amount of cash in a bank account can also cause equal discomfort. Someone I admire a lot, @surfermarly , had a bank nearly ruin her life, When Banks Abuse Their Power And Start To Threaten Our Lives. I know she was not happy having her funds frozen. They do have machines that look at income and expenditures. I hope all is well now Marly!
This is real and many who suddenly find success have been given the wrong impression over the years. Movies, shows, and flashy movie stars never present the ugly side of riches, like the government.
Look at some examples.
Remember the part in Fast and Furious - Tokyo Drift where they won a $45,000 car in a race and then registered for new plates the next day? Me neither.
Remember how they explained that it was just a bet? Illegal street racing. No, nobody would ever talk about that.
I have bought and sold many cars and I alway remove the plates when I hand over the keys. Then again, I had always had a job to explain my ability to pay for the car when tax time came. Now I do not work.
- Take a look at the Fast and Furious Five where they got a ton of money.
They robbed a safe from the Brazilian police station. It was drug money or something but they stole it. The movie ends with each one of them in a big house, each with new cars. No mention of how they got the title to those. No mention of how they explained where they got the money.
Money is glamorized in society, which is now a global community. The ills of taxes are left out of the equation.
If pink sand is suddenly valued at $1500 per ounce, is it taxable?
No
If I make money that is not paper and ink dollars, is that taxable? No. In my opinion, it is not taxable until I buy dollars with it. So I do not buy dollars. End of story.
Old people called Senators, who are just now mastering email, might write laws about crypto-currencies. But that is like a toddler on a piano. Cute, but not music. Really annoying after a while.
List of old Senators
source
What happened to retiring at sixty five?
I don't really want an 85-year-old taxi driver, accountant, or doctor. Why should the laws be written by these guys? How about a test to see if they know what is happening around them. How about technical knowledge being a must!
I am not going to try to launder something that is clean. In fact, much cleaner than the dollar. None of my steem has any cocaine residue on it. I am not going to declare it as an asset until there are clear laws in place. In other words, those old Senators need to die off first.
No 1040 Submitted.
Yeah, you guessed it. I did not file taxes again this year in any country. No need to. I don't earn dollars or any other paper. But that may change.
I have been exploring options to get away from renting because I would like to have something real besides shiny metal. I do not mind paying taxes on imaginary earnings in order to make people believe I am a slave to debt like all normal people. This needs to be slow and gentle. It's time consuming and expensive.
I am meeting with accountants and lawyers to see what can be done to explain money that seems to have come out of thin air, but I refuse to say the word crypto or bitcoin. These are people who have known me for twenty years and know that there is no way I am breaking any current law.
The process starts with renewing my ID without revealing my current address, then declaring earnings and buying some small property. This has kept me busy and when I looked, I had not posted anything in over a month! You have my comments and votes always :) Now you have a post!
All this to say that I have been reluctantly seeking to enter back into the visible society.
this could be a really stupid move - my gut feeling.
How will you explain your good fortune when Steem hits $300.00 per? Does anyone have experience declaring coins or the sale of them?
Thanks for taking time...
Remember. Your job is to make sure people know that simply putting it "on the blockchain" does NOT mean that it is on the Bitcoin (or another reliable decentralized) blockchain.
I certainly had fun running around with your voting power! Now I'm feeling nostalgic ;)
We did the same thing for a few years, only using cash, not owning anything of note. We ultimately decided the same thing as you- we know the truth, if they need the illusion that we're good debt slaves so be it. Actually our children factored a great deal into this decision, we want them to make their own choices and it would have limited them to a huge degree if we continued on the no ID etc. path.
Glad to see you back!
Great to be back in the saddle. Posting, I mean. As you well know I have not gone anywhere. Always here. I just choose to post on the positive. Wait... Oh yeah, slamming the government is so positively fun!
I do know that ;) Haha, yup, slamming the government is positively fun indeed! Especially the Irksome Revolting Swindlers!
Thank you for posting @htooms.
Here's wishing you a home/house/property. It is tricky trying to find balance these days.
All the best to you.
Cheers.
I kind of live a double life atm ... I work as a freelance in something that gives me enough to live normal and mantain my kid where I live but I also have the cryptocurrencies, a bit of gold and silver .. not as many as you hehehe ;) but some, enough to feel safe if for some reason the bank decides to close my account like what happens with @surfermarly. (Disclosure, I have the same bank ;) )
I pay taxes of my normal work (a lot in this country) but like you say, until there is a fixed law for Steem, Dash, ETH or some of those I will not declare anything else. And I do not have BTC either. (The only crypto that governments seem to know :P )
I imagine that making the transition that you want to make should not be difficult, it should look like when I arrived in this country, for me was like starting from 0 but of course, with some clear differences ;)
I'm sure they know how to do it :)
Good luck with what you want to do and welcome back!
I really hope they know how to do it. Once out, you can't put the Genie back in the bottle. The accountant I mentioned had handled my first audit. That was the one I had to pay fines on. The USSA one was three years of owing 0.00 and saying "In yo Face" to the tax people.
I know ... I am pretty sure will go everything fine. The only problem is that, as you well say, the genie is out and you need to be a bit more careful. Now they know they have something they can take away from you, is the problem with this kind of things always.
Always feels pretty good when you can do something like that XD
Good one - a topic a lot of discuss since some months - creating sleepless nights, some are totally relaxed others tend to be afraid what happens.
I have to re-read that post more than once to get our idea / thoughts from a different part of the world.
This part of your entry sounds really interesting (and I am curious to hear how that can be even possible...): "I have no visible income in the country where I live, so no taxes here either. I am excited that bitcoin, dash, steem and now bitshares have provided a way for me to be invisible. I can spend as much as I want to. No worries about paying bills or even rent. One rule. You can only buy things like; a night out, a new cell phone, a bike, electronics, clothes, or even a vacation within the country. Nothing that requires a name or registration."
You live in paradise or on Mars?
It has been interesting. Since I don't drive, and don't have a house, I remain invisible. Rental contracts are not reported to the government. All crypto sales are done over coffee and pastries. What else is there to know? I do find it strange watching people at the grocery store trying to slide cards to pay. Seems clunky and sometimes they have to try several. I carry cash which is only starting to be frowned upon here in Mars.
With so much digitization, it's unthinkable for a normal person to be using only cash.
How can someone stop going to the banks? How does one save? There are many such questions ...
Me? I put mommy bar with daddy bar and I get a baby bar.
These do not change in value, but the amount of paper I get for them does. The paper is worth less (worthless) so I get more of it when I sell one of these little pocket breakers.
I love your attitude, and how you've made crypto work to your benefit. I have some heavy fiat debts to pay in the long run, but once I'm free of those I would be tempted to take a similar route to you.
I'd also add that I couldn't think of anything worse than buying a Lambo. It just doesn't seem right to me. A bit cringeworthy. An Aston martin on the other hand. Well, then you'd have my undivided attention.
I am relatively new here, but having read this post, welcome back!
I have always been into American muscle cars and Harley Davidsons my self. This going back into banks and loans is a tough decision - I remember the take a number and stand in line crap.
Hello dear friend @htooms it is good to re-read your publications, even if it costs you to believe it, I was worried, I came to think that you had gone from steemit, after those flags that your advertisements received.
Four years ago I gave up my relationship work dependence, live from what I generate on the web (steemit) and something that I invested in cryptocurrencies, with the new European law, for this area Argentina, we were without cards that receive bitcoin, the little I win, it is a big complication to bring it here, we are obliged to go through the local banks, many times I think I will do when the steem is worth a lot of money, as I am going to be able to spend it without attracting attention.
Happy to read you my dear friend, I wish you a good week
Thanks. Reconnecting with all of you is so nice. I don't give up that easily. That was a crappy app and the post looked crappy for that reason. The thumbs down have been a part of my life since day one here. I just ordered a large bot vote to put the money you all gave me back. We have that response now.
I hope you have a wonderful week too!
So great article!
Good application for checking cryptocurrency status - iCoinCourse.
Link for download and description: https://icoincourse.com/
Telegram support: @icoincourse (https://t.me/icoincourse)
I bet @marcstevens could help you with the tax man, if you wanted to buy a house.
Good one - a topic a lot of discuss since some months - creating sleepless nights, some are totally relaxed others tend to be afraid what happens.
We did the same thing for a few years, only using cash, not owning anything of note. We ultimately decided the same thing as you- we know the truth, if they need the illusion that we're good debt slaves so be it. Actually our children factored a great deal into this decision, we want them to make their own choices and it would have limited them to a huge degree if we continued on the no ID etc. path.
I kind of live a double life atm ... I work as a freelance in something that gives me enough to live normal and mantain my kid where I live but I also have the cryptocurrencies, a bit of gold and silver .. not as many as you hehehe ;) but some, enough to feel safe if for some reason the bank decides to close my account like what happens with @surfermarly. (Disclosure, I have the same bank ;) )
I love your attitude, and how you've made crypto work to your benefit. I have some heavy fiat debts to pay in the long run, but once I'm free of those I would be tempted to take a similar route to you.
I have enjoyed reading your publication, even though I do not speak the English language, with the help of the translator your idea and your purpose have been completely clear to me.
I love being aware of everything that cryptocurrencies refers to, from a few months to here it has become my world and has impacted more on others, positively affecting their lives (within what fits).
I have been able to listen to this topic very often and the truth is that it has interested me (although I do not have a large amount of crypto) I know that one day I will have them and I was not the only one who wonders what to answer when they ask me:
It almost seems the answer that Timmy would give in "The Fairly Oddparents"
It's amazing how money seems to answer the concerns of many and how having it can be a problem for others, when it comes to legal terms (and we're talking about people who get money honestly, what we get, nobody gives them to us)
Welcome back.
Yes. But my strategy so far has been not getting asked that question. Thanks for the reminder. I know Timmy had the right idea and his parents always figured "the internet, thta's cool".
Wow. Your post is amazing .. Because of hard work, you have succeeded in this steemit. I am very inspired. Greetings from me @htooms.
What you write in your post is very impressed my heart. I hope to succeed like you.. Thank you @htooms nice to know you
Very interesting post.. I like that story.. Thank you @htooms.. Nice to know you.
Very interesting post
Interesante Post, Gracias por Compartir te sigo, cuenta con mi apoyo. y feliz dia, Agente de cambio.
Fiat society is in a fascist condition. The people in the halls of power abuse their positions of influence to create wealth for their corporate handlers. It's honestly sickening.
I have difficult time relating to the idea of wealth on the level you are speaking. As a USAian of poverty I will likely struggle with poverty for my lifetime. The system is built to keep the serfs enslaved.
I do believe that crypto could offer an avenue to escape my lot in life as dictated by those who effectively control our nation through institutions of banking and finance.
Registering possessions for taxation. What a con! Especially when the money which was spent on those possessions has been taxed multiple times already. State, local and federal theft is imposed, on the poor while those who can buy and sell legislation shape the laws which exempt them from taxation. It's a modern day kleptocracy which allows rampant corruption at the highest levels of society and crushes the poor person for failing to register their dog.
Thanks for addressing this issue of taxation. I hope we somehow find a way to tax the 1%.
It is hilarious to listen to my writings and rantings on a tts computer voice. Still listening and laughing.