Are you not transferring the debt and they want their cut for the Use of that transfer? The Transfer is the excise taxable activity carrying on a "trade or business" with the United States agents, the banks. Now read very carefully 26 CFR 1.864 and you will see that any dealings with the banking system, in any form, deposits, withdrawals, etc., are considered "carrying on a trade or business with the United States". That’s why they don’t care who the hell you are, citizen, non-resident alien, foreigner, neutral, whatever. They all use scrip, don’t they? What is one of the sources mentioned in 1.861-8? Banking, any kind of banking. So the use of the Federal Reserve Notes is subject to an income tax for the excise privilege of using the private trademarked scrip of the fiscal agent of the United States banking system in "transfer".