How a Social Media Clip Convinced the Internet Taxes Were Optional
I attended a conference last week, virtually, in which Erin Collins, the National Taxpayer Advocate, spoke about the state of the IRS. She mentioned a situation on social media that turned her into a star, for all the wrong readers.
A single sentence, taken out of context, convinced a ridiculous number of people they don’t have to pay taxes.
It started when a short clip of Ms. Collins circulated online in which she referred to the U.S. tax system as a “voluntary tax system”—a technical tax term that didn't mean what people thought it meant.
The clip spread. It now has millions of views. And suddenly, a familiar myth resurfaced with fresh confidence: that filing taxes is optional and compliance is a personal choice.
That misunderstanding didn’t stay on social media. It showed up in actual conversations, client decisions, delayed action, and quiet assumptions.
For an issue that you'd think wouldn't need to be explained, here are four critical things that clients need to understand about what Erin Collins said and why it doesn't mean paying taxes is optional.
1. What Erin Collins Actually Said — and How It Got Taken Out of Context
During testimony before Congress, Erin Collins described the U.S. tax system as a “voluntary tax system.” That statement was accurate, conventional, and widely understood within the tax profession.
She was explaining how the system operates—not suggesting that compliance is optional.
But in the age of short clips and fast scrolling, context doesn’t travel well.
A brief excerpt circulated online, detached from its explanation, and was repurposed to support something different. A technical description of compliance mechanics became, online, supposed proof that filing taxes is a choice.
2. “Voluntary” Does Not Mean Optional
Let’s start with the basis of the misunderstanding.
In everyday language, "voluntary" means optional. In tax administration, it doesn't.
“Voluntary compliance” means the system relies on taxpayers to self-report—to calculate, report, and pay what they owe without the government doing it for them in advance.
It does not mean taxpayers get to choose whether to file or pay. Filing is mandatory. Paying tax owed is mandatory. Oh, also, enforcement is real.
3. “Voluntary” Doesn’t Mean What People Think It Means
People got themselves into conspiratorial elation over a misunderstanding of the technical definition of voluntary.
Outside the tax world, “voluntary” sounds like "option" or a "choice."
Inside the tax world, it means something far more technical: the IRS does not pre-calculate most income taxes for you.
When it comes to taxes, the distinction means that the system doesn’t require supervision to function. It relies on compliance first. But second, it relies on enforcement. And once enforcement begins, the flexibility clients may have once had while they were not paying their taxes because they thought it was optional, disappears.
4. What Erin Collins Says Taxpayers Need to Remember as Filing Season Approaches
In response to the confusion, Erin Collins has been clear about the takeaway.
The tax system relies on people voluntarily participating in the process, not voluntarily choosing whether to comply.
As filing season approaches, the reminders are pretty much common sense.
Filing requirements are mandatory
Paying the correct amount is mandatory
The system assumes engagement, not avoidance
She has also emphasized that complexity, combined with misinformation, is one of the greatest threats to trust in the tax system. When taxpayers misunderstand what’s required—or underestimate the consequences—they make decisions that lead to penalties and enforcement that could have been avoided.
This is the world we live in now, a world dominated by TikTok. People say a lot of things on social media and they sound like they know what they're talking about.
And that turns into people making decisions that don't make sense, which then shows up as missed deadlines, enforced collections, and lost options. All because someone who sounds confident on TikTok told them something dumb.
TL;DR
⏩ A clipped statement by Erin Collins fueled online myths that taxes are optional
⏩ “Voluntary compliance” refers to self-reporting, not choice
⏩ Misunderstanding leads to delay, escalation, and lost options
⏩ As filing season approaches, early clarity matters more than ever
➥ Contact Attorney Stephen A. Weisberg for a free Tax Debt Analysis.
Contact Me Here: https://www.weisberg.tax/contact-1
Email: sweisberg@wtaxattorney.com
Phone/Text: (248) 971-0885
Address: 300 Galleria Officentre, Suite 402, Southfield, MI 48034
