FIU prof.: cops ‘never’ arrest people for failing to pay taxes

During an impromptu debate with students on the desirability of taxes, a Florida International University professor declared that nobody has ever been arrested for tax evasion.

Driena Sixto, an FIU student and part-time field director for Turning Point USA, told Campus Reform that the group was handing out anti-tax literature on campus Monday for TPUSA’s “Socialism Sucks Day of Action” when Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr.—Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Chair of the Department of Medicine, Family Medicine, and Community Health at FIU’s College of Medicine—approached them to explain why he supports income taxes.

In video footage of the conversation that was provided to Campus Reform, Greer posits that he is fine with paying taxes because he supports the causes they fund, and when the students question the legitimacy of having “men with guns” enforce tax laws, Greer declares that no such thing has ever taken place.

“Capitalism is about making money, and I make a shitload of money … I have no problem with capitalism,” Greer says at the start of the video.

“But you want half of it taken away because you’re making it?” Sixto challenges him.

“I have no problem with that,” he tells her.

“No? Well, how generous of you,” Sixto tells him, adding, “you should donate it to…” before being cut off.

“It’s not generous of me,” Greer tells the students. “It’s because I love my country.”

“[Y]ou should donate it wherever you want and let somebody who makes as much as you, but wants to donate it to another cause [do so],” Sixto finishes.

“They can!” Greer exclaims. “They can donate it anywhere they…”

“Yeah, they should do it, but they shouldn’t have people with guns come after them or put them in jail for not paying 50 percent of their salary,” Sixto interjects. “That’s the difference.”

Chuckling, Greer simply says, “People with guns is a whole ‘nother issue.”

“Well, if the police come and arrest you for not paying your taxes, isn’t that intimidation from the government?” Sixto asks.

“The police have never arrested anybody for not paying [their] taxes,” he asserts.

When the students point out that Al Capone was arrested for tax evasion, Greer concedes the point, but pleads ignorance, saying, “Well, okay; I wasn’t alive then.”

Sixto said the discussion continued for several minutes after the end of the video, with the students offering several more-recent examples of individuals who have been arrested for tax evasion, and concluded when Greer questioned their definition of “socialism” and departed.

Campus Reform asked Dr. Greer to elaborate on the arguments he made to the students, but he had not responded by press time.

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