The State : Anti-Tax Groups Watched

State officials are cracking down on self-styled “patriots” who refuse to pay income taxes and are taking more seriously threats received from the right-wing protest groups. Jim Reber, a state Franchise Tax Board spokesman, said authorities have noted a more militant attitude among people who believe taxes violate their constitutional rights. The board has begun a program to identify illegal tax protesters and their strategies, including sharing information with other state agencies and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. State prosecutions for failure to pay taxes rose from 40 cases in 1982 to 113 in 1984, Reber said, while the board has prosecuted about 80 cases this year. Another 120 cases and 400 investigations are pending, he said. About 9,000 Californians refused to pay state income taxes on constitutional or religious grounds last year, a drop from about 10,000 the year before.