At a mark up hearing of the Joint Committee on Taxation, Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) asked the committee's chief of staff, Thomas Barthold, what would happen if Americans failed to pay the $1900 tax for not taking Obamacare.
Under questioning from Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), Barthold said the IRS would "take you to court and undertake normal collection proceedings."
Ensign pursued the line of questioning because he said a lot of Americans don't believe the Constitution allows the government to mandate the purchase of insurance.
"We could be subjecting those very people who conscientiously, because they believe in the U.S. Constitution, we could be subjecting them to fines or the interpretation of a judge, all the way up to imprisonment," Ensign said. "That seems to me to be a problem."
Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) now has written confirmation that Americans could face up to a year in jail for rejecting Obamacare and not paying the tax.
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."
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