by MARK NESTMANN | LEWROCKWELL.COM |

Freedom to travel is a fundamental and internationally recognized human right. Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states:

Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Congress ratified the UDHR on April 2, 1992. But it’s now having second thoughts.

The “right to travel” makes some politicians very nervous. Consider the issue from their viewpoint. Leaving the country makes it more difficult to detain you if the Feds suspect you of a crime, such as withdrawing lawfully earned cash from your bank account. It’s also less convenient to surveil you if your political opinions don’t toe the party line. And above all, it’s harder for Big Brother to grab your assets.

 So, it’s hardly surprising that in May, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced legislation that would seize the passport of any US citizen with “seriously delinquent tax debts.” The proposal, part of an omnibus trade bill, isn’t new. Indeed, this is the fourth year in a row that Hatch, or other Big Government apologists, have introduced this measure.

The proposal requires no hearing or any other due process to grab your passport. All that’s needed is for the IRS to issue a “Notice of Levy” for any amount greater than $50,000.This is a letter informing you that the IRS thinks you owe it money.

Sure, $50,000 sounds like a lot of dough. But when it comes to tax liabilities, it’s practically chump change.

In June, the House of Representatives removed the passport revocation provision from the trade bill. But the measure isn’t dead. The Senate version of the bill still contains this measure.

The bill is now in conference, where Senator Hatch and his cronies must convince their colleagues that revoking the passports of US citizens who might owe money to the IRS is just, equitable, and compatible with the US Constitution (not to mention the UDHR).

In case you wondered, it’s not just Big Government “conservatives” like Orrin Hatch who support this measure. There’s bipartisan support for the concept. Indeed, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced the first proposal of this type in 2012, following a 2011 General Accountability Office recommendation. Obviously, politicians from both the “left” and “right” want to restrict travel options for US citizens. That means that even if passport revocation for back taxes doesn’t pass this year, the proposal will resurface.

You might wonder what the need is for this measure, since the IRS can already apply to a federal court for a legal writ called Ne Exeat Republica. In the context of unpaid tax, this writ forbids you from leaving the US until you pay up. But to invoke this measure, the IRS must first obtain a court order to “ground” you. That’s inconvenient, since it involves that pesky concept of “due process” the Feds want to avoid at all costs. Senator Hatch and his colleagues want to remove that obstacle as soon as possible….

Continue Reading