Irwin Allan Schiff, Economist and Tax Protester, Died at 87

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Irwin Allan Schiff, born on February 24, 1928, and passed away October 16, 2015.

He was an American and a prominent figure in the tax protester movement.

Irwin was known for writing and promoting literature in which he claimed the United States income tax is applied incorrectly.

He lost several civil cases against the federal government and had a record of multiple convictions for various federal tax crimes.

Irwin was serving a 13-plus year sentence for tax crimes at the time of his death.

Irwin was the father of investor and former United States Senate candidate Peter Schiff.

Irwin was born to a Jewish family in Poland and immigrated to the United States where he worked as a carpenter.

In 1950, Irwin attended the University of Connecticut, where he obtained a B.S. with a double major in Accounting and Economics.

After college, Irwin was in the insurance brokerage business in Connecticut.

In connection with his business, he was involved in a tax shelter in which he became the victim of a Ponzi scheme in which he lost his money and the money of his clients.

In 1968 he testified before the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency in opposition to the removal of gold backing from Federal Reserve Notes.

In 1976, he published a book entitled The Biggest Con: How the Government is Fleecing You.

Irwin was a candidate for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination in 1996, and he participated in a Libertarian presidential candidates debate in Washington on July 5, 1996.

Irwin had a web site named “PayNoIncomeTax.com”, which offered his various books for sale.

He was featured in Hollywood producer Aaron Russo’s 2006 film America: Freedom To Fascism.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that Irwin passed away on October 16, 2015.