With federal budget deficits and the national debt as major problems for the country going forward, why have Republicans been unwilling to fund more I.R.S. agents to pursue tax cheats and increase federal revenue? The 2012 Obama budget asked for an increase in funding for the agency, much of which would have been dedicated to hiring more agents and enforcement initiatives. However, Congress in its infinite wisdom instead cut the I.R.S. budget, forcing the agency to offer buyouts to over 5000 of its employees.
A report by the internal monitor of the I.R.S. in January noted that the cuts in funding and an increased workload made the agency unable to adequately collect taxes or provide reasonable service to the public. In fact, staff reductions resulted in an inability to obtain billions of dollars annually owed to the government, but not paid. One estimate from I.R.S. data had tax cheating costing the federal government $3 trillion over the last decade. In addition, every tax filer has to pay an extra $2200 to the government to compensate for those taxes that are evaded. The great bulk of the tax avoidance is by wealthy individuals or small businesses. If with more agents I.R.S. audits rose significantly, much of the money now owed could flow into federal coffers, a good deal of it voluntarily through tax dodgers’ fears of being caught.
The recent GOP House budget proposal emphasized cutting tax rates, while closing loopholes and deductions, but did not provide the I.R.S. with additional help to improve enforcement of the current tax laws. And in a cynical maneuver, the loopholes and deductions to be ended were not specified in the GOP bill, so that no estimate could be made of whether the revenue generated would be equivalent to what was lost with the tax cuts. Last year when the additional money was requested for the I.R.S., one Republican Congressman declared that no money would be forthcoming for “I.R.S. goons.” This is emblematic of the way many Republicans view the I.R.S; an agency whose powers should be reduced rather than expanded. And when service from the I.R.S. is not up to par, citizens’ hostility to the agency grows, which is probably what Republicans want.
One would think that in this time when shrinking the federal budget deficit is so important to both parties and the electorate, the idea of collecting more money from tax cheats would be a no-brainer for the deficit hawks in the GOP. Not only would it bring in additional revenue to reduce the deficit, but it’s also an issue of fairness for those who pay their share. And getting it done would be relatively painless. Do Republicans hate the I.R.S. so much that they are willing to let fraud go unpunished and tax-evaders keep their ill-gotten gains?
Republicans appear to be hostile to anything that has to do with taxes. While there’s little question that the tax code needs changing, the tax laws now in place need to be maximally enforced for the good of the nation. This should be done independently of cutting taxes, or reform of the tax code.
Resurrecting Democracy
A VietNam vet and a Columbia history major who became a medical doctor, Bob Levine has watched the evolution of American politics over the past 40 years with increasing alarm. He knows he’s not alone. Partisan grid-lock, massive cash contributions and even more massive expenditures on lobbyists have undermined real democracy, and there is more than just a whiff of corruption emanating from Washington. If the nation is to overcome lockstep partisanship, restore growth to the economy and bring its debt under control, Levine argues that it will require a strong centrist third party to bring about the necessary reforms. Levine’s previous book, Shock Therapy For the American Health Care System took a realist approach to health care from a physician’s informed point of view; Resurrecting Democracy takes a similar pragmatic approach, putting aside ideology and taking a hard look at facts on the ground. In his latest book, Levine shines a light that cuts through the miasma of party propaganda and reactionary thinking, and reveals a new path for American politics. This post is cross posted from his blog.
Political junkie, Vietnam vet, neurologist- three books on aging and dementia. Book on health care reform in 2009- Shock Therapy for the American Health Care System. Book on the need for a centrist third party- Resurrecting Democracy- A Citizen’s Call for a Centrist Third Party published in 2011. Aging Wisely, published in August 2014 by Rowman and Littlefield. Latest book- The Uninformed Voter published May 2020