KC COUPLES TAKES TAX STAND

In another tax story, a Kansas City couple appears to have found a way -- not an easy one, however -- to combat the Internal Revenue Service's strongarm tactics. Instead of complying with an IRS order to discuss their tax returns, the couple chose to stand behind the protection of their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. For their troubles, they have spent the past year in jail.

Now the federal judge who put them there has let them go, saying it is clear the couple isn't going to relent. The issue of their taxes has yet to be decided. They may indeed owe the $1.3 million in back taxes and penalties the IRS says they owe. But their decision to buck the IRS was a courageous -- and costly -- one that other taxpayers may see as an example of standing up for individual rights.