Republicans Chop IRS Budget Again, Setting Up Clash With Obama

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

The parties are now $2.8 billion apart on IRS funding—a rounding error for the federal budget but an enormous gulf on a politically sensitive topic.

Jun 10, 2015 10:00 AM EDT

U.S. House Republicans are proposing a 7.7 percent cut to the IRS budget, setting the boundaries for a budget standoff over the next few months.

With a $10.1 billion budget for the Internal Revenue Service, Republicans rejected President Barack Obama’s call for an 18 percent increase that would allow the beleaguered agency to end a hiring freeze and answer more phone calls from taxpayers.

The parties are now $2.8 billion apart on IRS funding -- a rounding error for the federal budget but an enormous gulf on a politically sensitive topic.

“Every day, Americans are making tough decisions about their own budgets and rightfully expect federal agencies to do the same,” said Representative Ander Crenshaw, a Florida Republican who oversees the IRS budget.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-10/republicans-chop-irs-budget-again-setting-up-clash-with-obama

[groundloop]

1. Same old Song and Dance from gopers - cut funding and complain about the results

They've certainly been complaining a lot lately about how horrible customer service has been at the IRS (of course they don't mention the fact that it's because the IRS has been underfunded because of budget cuts). Now they want to cut the budget more, no doubt there will be even more complaining about customer service, and the natural followup to that will be a call to privatize.

[MizzM]

6. Taxpayers' nightmare

Just what we need. It took me over a year to straighten out the continuing migraines that occurred when someone stole my Social Security number. The Taxpayer Advocacy Group was finally able to turn things around (even though the feds at that point were taking money out of my SS every month in order to pay off my $8,500 "debt" that belonged to someone else.) All I heard from the IRS Advocacy Group was "We just don't have enough help to deal with all the identity theft that's going on. They keep cutting the budget."

[Roland99]

2. Cut oil company subsidies and we'd be in the black

but Republicans are....crude.

[erronis]

3. Any chance that the tax people are getting a little close to the mark?

Since collecting taxes due based on tax code (passed by the legislature/executive) is necessary to keep this fine ship afloat,

and since fewer US citizens have the wherewithall to actually pay taxes,

and since the kleptocrats are probably in deep kimchi if the taxman can actually clamp down,

and since congress is mainly funded by keptocrats -

What other reason do you need?

[Historic NY]

4. Internal Revenue Service...the people that collect tax money...

now why would Republicons be against collecting tax money.

[stuffmatters]

5. Restoring definition of "charity" to "entirely" (not "primarily") non political would net IRS $$s

Would save the IRS many millions in legal fees defending against these 401C-3 lawsuits/challenges by Rove, Koch etc. It would also deliver taxes to the taxpayers on these billions spent in political propaganda campaigns. And it would end their secrecy protections.

Probably one of the biggest delights for these mean spirited billionaires is that their info pollution machines are "tax free"---i.e.
with the current tax code definition of charity, ordinary taxpayers are subsidizing corps and oligarchs political domination of the airwaves. Add to that the "secrecy" this category of exemption provides and you've got their perfect slush machine.

It could end tomorrow .Lawrence O'Donnell has mentioned many times that this is a language "fix" in the tax code that can be done within the IRS itself, without any legislative approval. In the Eisenhower administration, the IRS changed the original language defining charities from "entirely" social welfare to "primarily" social welfare, which created an ambiguity that alone has costs the taxpayers & IRS billions in both tax revenue and legal challenges and an obscene flood of dark (even foreign) untraceable money into our politics. Restoring the language would make the exemption clear, automatic and challenge proof.

[Turbineguy]

7. Actually......

Not collecting taxes is a brilliant idea! Look at how well it worked in Greece!