Veteran and North Castle Water Superintendent Passed Away at 89
By Dan Murphy
On May 31, friends and family of Anthony “Tony” J. Futia, remembered his life at the Armonk Alliance Church. Futia passed away on April 25 after a brief illness.
Many of you may know Futia from the many articles and advertisements he ran in our newspapers and online. Futia was a strong believer that the Federal Income Tax was voluntary for most Americans.
His obituary reads: Born in White Plains, NY, Tony was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his children; Kim Longo (Richard), Sharon Grahame, Karen Futia, and Tony Futia, III (Doreene), grandchildren; Matthew Longo (Nikki), Andrea Longo, Kristi Grahame (Tom Sikes), Kathleen Grahame, Brittany Grahame, Tara Mazzini (Raymond), and Neena Faucher, and sister; Virginiann Spellman. He is predeceased by his loving wife of more than 50 years; Martha “Martye” Futia, parents; Frances M. Futia (Gambino) and Anthony J. Futia, Sr., and son-in-law; John Grahame.
Tony was Superintendent of the Town of North Castle’s Sewer and Water Department, retiring in 2011 after nearly 45 years of service. A US Navy Veteran, he dedicated his life to community service and the principles of liberty and justice. He stood up for what he believed in and led by example, encouraging engagement in the democratic process. Over the years, he held numerous volunteer positions for local organizations, including North White Plains Fire Company No. 1, the Valhalla Union Free School District, American Legion Post 1097, and the Armonk Lion’s Club.
Donations may be made to American Legion Post 1097, 35 Bedford Road, Armonk, NY 10504 or We The People Congress (Protecting Freedom through the First Amendment Right to Petition) via their website, wethepeoplecongress.us., end of obituary.
Over the last few years of his life, this reporter got to know Tony Futia from our frequent interactions concerning his lawsuits against the IRS and Uncle Sam.
Futia’s central argument was that “the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution, which reads, “The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration,” does not require all Americans to pay a Federal Income tax. Only Federal employees are required to pay an income tax and no law says every other American has to pay a Federal income tax.”
Futia’s other argument was that “when taxpayers fill out and sign a W-4 form, they voluntarily agree to pay a Federal Income tax. “They can’t show me the law that requires all Americans to pay an income tax because one does not exist. And that is my argument, which I want to be heard by a jury of my peers. “
“The Government cannot afford to lose this case because our Federal government is already $32 Trillion in debt. They need the money they take in from the illegal income tax. Martha Stewart, Pete Rose, and Joe Louis are some of the more famous Americans that the IRS went after. I’m just a regular Navy Veteran who is taking a stand against tyranny. We should not be afraid of our government.”
“The following New Yorkers are not required to pay a personal income tax. All New York State police officials and officers; All New York State village, town, city, county, and state employees, and most Citizen residents of New York State.
“The New York State Comptroller will not show me the law that requires and makes me liable for the tax. That is because no law says most Americans must pay a Federal income tax. I have submitted to the Greene County Sheriff documents and video exhibits of IRS fraud and corruption for safekeeping and investigation in case of my death and for possible charges filed with his department against the state comptroller,” said Futia, who refused to pay his income taxes over a 10-year period.
Eventually, he had a lien placed on his New York State (NYS) pension (which he also believed was illegal and subsequently sued the NYS Comptroller over) to cover some of the taxes the IRS claimed he owed.
Futia’s lawsuit eventually made it to the US Supreme Court, who refused to hear his case last year.
We found Futia’s arguments compelling enough to write about and share with our readers. We thought that he deserved his day in court before a Judge and a Jury. He never got that, but this we can say with certainty; he enjoyed the last few years of his life fighting for a cause he believed in and we were happy to state his case.
We believe that Futia, and others whose stories and letters we print, that you may disagree with, have the right to be heard. That is the primary reason we published Futia’s letters and ads, because nobody else would, and we thought that his argument had enough merit to be discussed.
We also respected his service to our country and his years of service to the Town of North Castle. We covered many Town Board meetings in North Castle when Futia and former Supervisor Jack Lombardi would go at it.
May God Bless Tony Futia.
