In a letter to Congressman Dave Camp, who represents the 4th District of Michigan, the Chief of Staff of the Congressional 'Joint Committee on Taxation' outlined the fact that the recently passed health care bill, "Affordable Health Care for America Act" (H.R. 3962) contains a religious conscience exemption.:
 

• "H.R. 3962 provides that an individual (or a husband and wife in the case of a joint return) who does not, at any time during the taxable year, maintain acceptable health care coverage for himself or herself and each of his or her qualifying children is subject to an additional tax.1
• The tax is equal to the lesser of (a) the national average premium for single or family coverage, as applicable, as determined by the Secretary of Treasury in coordination with the Health Choices Commissioner, or b) 2.5 percent of income required for the inciome tax return filing for that taxpayer. This tax is in addition to both regular income tax and the alternative minimum tax, and is prorated for periods in which the failure exists for only part of the year. In general, the additional tax applies only to United States citizens and resident aliens. The additional tax does not apply to those who are residents of the possessions or who are dependent, nor does it apply to those whose lapses in coverage are de minimis or those with religious conscience exemptions. The additional tax does not apply if the maintenance of acceptable coverage would result in a hardship to the individual or if the person's income is below the threshold doe filing a Federal income tax return."
  

Camp, who's been in Congress since 1991 after serving in the Michigan State House of Representaives for one two-year term, is yet another Republican advocating government intervention into the private affairs of Americans. While portending to squabble with House Democrats, he still insists that the American people "deserve and demand a common sense approach to health care reform" that  "makes health care more affordable".

The Religious Conscience Exemption, which begins on page 299 of the 1990 page bill, states "...if such individual has in effect an exemption which certifies that such individual is a member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof described in section 1402g1 and an adherent of established tenents or teachings of such sect or division as described in such section.
it goes on any such exemption granted by the Secretary shall be effective for such period as the secretary determines appropriate."

The letter, written by  Congressional staffer Thomas Barthold, also outlined a startling admission that the Justice department won 666 convictions  against defendants for alleged IRS "tax crimes" in 2008. Tax attorney Jeff Dickstein, who successfully represented former IRS agent Joe Bannister in court, offered friendly advise to non-filers at a Constitutional conference in 2008.