IRC Section 7345 

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Jeffrey T. Maehr v. United States Department of State, Case No. 20-1124, handed down an opinion on July 20, 2021 in which it ruled in a case of first impression nationwide that the federal government’s statute to force taxpayers to address their tax delinquencies or suffer withdrawal or revocation of their passport until the delinquency is addressed, was in fact constitutional. The taxpayer in the case attacked the law on three grounds: 1) that it violated substantive due process, 2) that is runs afoul of the principles announced in the Privileges and Immunities clauses, and 3) that it contradicts caselaw concerning the common law principle of ne exeat republica. The law at issue was passed by Congress as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (“FAST Act”) in 2015. A certification of delinquency must be transmitted by the IRS to the Department of State. Taxpayers may avoid or decertify by coming into compliance through the establishment of an installment agreement, a Partial Payment Installment Agreement, or even a determination of Currently Not Collectible. This case is an interesting read for the constitutional scholar but doesn’t change the statute at issue.