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Highlights
- Larry Williams has never backed away from authority, especially government authority - the U.S. or any other.
- About the Author: LARRY R. WILLIAMS is the all-time top winner of the Robbins World Cup Championship of Futures Trading, an honor awarded him for having turned $10,000 into $1 million in less than twelve months.
- 240 Pages
- Business + Money Management, Taxation
Description
Book Synopsis
Larry Williams has never backed away from authority, especially government authority - the U.S. or any other. Including two battles all the way to the Supreme Court. Libertarian, trader, would be politician, and Indiana Jones-like adventurer, Larry has gone wherever his spirit moved him and bucked state constraints whenever he found them stifling. Throughout his life, his rebellious spirit served him well - huge successes in trading, to adventures right out of a Graham Greene novel in Saudi Arabia, two boisterous runs for the U.S. Senate, a famous actress daughter entangled with an even more famous actor, a new grandchild - the life well lived that would be the envy of most people. Along the way, Larry became a tax protester in the spirit of John Cheek and Irwin Schiff. However, Larry was far too free a spirit to give up his freedom for his beliefs, and figured that he was smarter than the zealot tax protesters now making license plates, particularly after meeting a man with an actual and real document from the IRS acknowledging the legitimacy of a certain kind of trust. But things are not always what they seem. Annoying letters from the IRS called for hiring an attorney to "work things out," which he thought (based on the bills he was paying) was in the works. Enjoying a pleasant flight in first class from South Africa to Australia, Larry, at the age of 64 with a new granddaughter and 5 children settled in successful lives of their own, reflected that life was pretty sweet. Then his plane landed in Australia and he was summarily arrested and jailed and taken to prison There began a nearly 4 year fight for his freedom at a huge financial cost; worse was the toll it took on his psyche. This is the story of Larry's war with the IRS and U.S. Dept. of Treasury and inside view of the world of tax protesters. Larry explains why the tax protest movement exists, where it is dead wrong and why it will most often lead followers to prison. He also weighs in on what can be done to correct the unfairness of the tax codes, and why tax rates are so astronomical, that the 'fair share' idea should be applied to what is the 'fair share' of your income the government is 'entitled' to.From the Back Cover
WHAT DO Henry David Thoreau, Joe Lewis, Judy Garland, Buster Keaton, Wesley Snipes, Ernest Hemingway, and Joan Baez have in common?
They're all famous Americans who, in a grand tradition with roots deep in the very foundation of the nation, vociferously protested what they believed to be an unjust system of taxation. Now we can add the name of futures trading legend, international adventurer, and two-time U.S. Senate candidate, Larry Williams to that list of notable freethinkers.
A rugged individualist, born and bred in Montana, Williams's cowboy ethos is best summed up by his observation that, "You know you will throw punches, may get beat up all to hell for what you believe in. That was not the point; the point was you stood your ground." It was an admirable philosophy that served him well in life and in business--that is until, following the advice of a seemingly reputable source, Larry decided to duke it out with one big bruiser who rarely loses: the Tax Man.
In Confessions of a Radical Tax Protestor, Larry tells the story of his harrowing six-year battle with the IRS. It was a fight that ranged across several continents and involved massive legal fees, public embarrassment for him and his movie star daughter, Michelle, and even jail time in one of Australia's most notorious lockups. Ultimately Larry won the battle, but only at tremendous cost to his family, his fortune, and his peace of mind.
The inspiring story of a singular man's fight for what he believed in, Confessions of a Radical Tax Protestor also serves as a cautionary tale for would-be tax protestors about false prophets who've led so many earnest objectors of conscience down the road to ruin and the true cost of going up against the biggest, orneriest, no-holds-barred brawler you'll ever meet.
About the Author
LARRY R. WILLIAMS is the all-time top winner of the Robbins World Cup Championship of Futures Trading, an honor awarded him for having turned $10,000 into $1 million in less than twelve months. One of the most widely quoted and followed money managers and advisors worldwide, he has been featured in Barron's, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune, among other prestigious publications. Famous for his rebellious nature and love of adventure, Larry travelled illegally to Saudi Arabia, in 1988, in search of Mt. Sinai, a story recounted in the bestselling The Gold of Exodus by Howard Blum.