'Tax resistance' protest goes viral on TikTok — but not paying the IRS can trigger severe penalties, even prison time

'Tax resistance' protest goes viral on TikTok — but not paying the IRS can trigger severe penalties, even prison time

Victoria Vesovski

6 min read

As tax season approaches, one thing hasn't changed: paying your taxes is mandatory, even if some Americans are starting to question it.

Jovan Granado-Gomez, a 25-year-old chef, said he checked "exempt" on a new-hire tax form, meaning no federal income tax would be withheld from his paycheck (1). In a TikTok video posted to the account @theamericannomad, Granado-Gomez urges viewers to follow his lead, shouting: "Stop paying your taxes." (2)

He says he'd rather keep his earnings than contribute to policies he disagrees with, including the war in Iran, immigration enforcement and what he sees as underfunded healthcare and education systems.

CNBC reports (3) that more taxpayers are exploring so-called "tax resistance," with some turning to accountants to see if refusing to pay is legally possible.

"At some point, the only way to get the financial elite to start hearing our pleas is if we stop giving them money," Granado-Gomez told MarketWatch (4).

'Tax strike' talk is trending

Granado-Gomez isn't the only one thinking about skipping tax season. Craig Kasamis, a 43-year-old heavy machinery instructor in Ventura, California, recently floated a similar idea on his podcast Get Heavy.

"There is a massive move online right now to go exempt on your taxes," he said in the podcast (5) clip that gained just under 1 million views. "I'm going to figure out if I can go exempt."

From January through late March, an estimated 92.5 million (6) users posted about a "tax strike." The motivations vary, but the through line is the same: a sense that the system isn't delivering relief. Some point to U.S. military involvement abroad, the Epstein files and immigration enforcement, while others cite concerns about government spending or accountability.

"Many of us are angry and frustrated by the U.S. government's military actions around the world, and it often seems as if there is not much we can do about it," an Instagram (7) post by The Conscious Citizen page reads. "War tax resistance is a powerful way to resist the state and oppose its harmful action."

But while the rhetoric may resonate, the reality is far less forgiving. Unlike adjusting an investment strategy, not paying your taxes isn't a workaround.

The financial consequences of not paying your taxes can escalate quickly, and they don't stop at a bill.

"It's really difficult for me as a tax professional to say [tax resistance] is a good idea," Chelsey Abrams (8), a Baltimore-based Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who helps clients build what she calls a "tax-smart life," told Forbes.

According to the Internal Revenue Service (9), failing to pay your taxes triggers a penalty of 0.5% of your unpaid balance for each month or even part of one up to a maximum of 25%, with interest added on top.

And those penalties are just the beginning. If you don't (10) file a return, the IRS can create one on your behalf often without applying the deductions or credits you may qualify for, which can leave you owing more than expected. From there, the agency may issue a 90-day (11) notice before moving into collections, which can include garnishing wages, seizing refunds or even taking property.

In more serious cases, the consequences can go beyond financial penalties. Federal data shows that in fiscal year 2024 (12), the U.S. Sentencing Commission handed down sentences in about 360 federal tax fraud cases.

Still, for some, those risks take a back seat to frustration. Granado-Gomez has brushed off warnings from tax professionals and says he has claimed exempt and not filed returns for years. He told MarketWatch he earns around $30,000 annually and believes his lower income and potentially minimal tax liability may be why he hasn't faced enforcement so far.

Skipping taxes isn't the shortcut

If your goal is to reduce your tax bill, there are far safer ways to do it. For example, speaking with an accountant or tax professional can help identify strategies tailored to your situation. They may recommend making the most of available deductions and credits (13), contributing to tax-advantaged accounts or setting up a payment plan to lower what you owe without risking penalties.

Still, this filing season suggests some taxpayers may be holding back. As of late March, the IRS had received (14) about 1.12 million fewer returns than at the same point last year. Even so, federal revenue hasn't slowed; the government has already collected nearly $2.1 trillion (15) in fiscal 2026, according to Treasury Department data.

Rather than signaling a coordinated movement, the shift appears to reflect a broader sense of frustration. For many Americans, the issue isn't just the size of their tax bill, but what they feel they're getting in return. As financial pressures persist, some are reassessing both their spending and their participation in broader systems, with "tax resistance" emerging as one expression of that discontent.