Arrested for tryig to pay his taxes

WHEN is legal tender not legal tender?

A man in the US has had a run-in with the law after an attempt to pay a tax bill in the most obnoxious way possible.

Texas man Timothy Andrew Norris was arrested last week when a tax office worker refused to accept payment for a $US600 ($A770) tax bill in tightly folded $1 notes.

The Times Record News reports Mr Norris, 27, turned up to the Wichita County Courthouse on January 28 to pay his property tax with the offending currency.

The bills were said to have been folded so tightly it “required tax office personnel approximately six minutes to unfold each bill”.

Assuming that’s true (is that even possible?), Mr Norris not only has some pretty serious origami skills, but he would have put the tax collectors out by about 60 man hours.

But he may have technically been within his rights. Section 31 of the US Code 5103 states: “United States coins and currency [including Federal reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal reserve banks and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues.”

According to the police affidavit, tax assessor Tommy Smyth asked Mr Norris to leave, accusing him of “disrupting the operation and efficiency of the tax office”.

When he refused, he was arrested and charged with criminal trespass. As the deputy grabbed Mr Norris’ arm to place him in handcuffs, Mr Norris pulled away.

When the deputy went to grab his arm a second time, he pulled away again, “causing the deputy and Smyth to wrestle Norris to the ground to detain him — bringing an additional charge of resisting arrest”.

Just in case you missed it: a tax collector assisted a police officer in wrestling a man to the ground. So did he deserve it?