Posted on 02/01/2005 7:40:38 PM PST by ambrose
Bush to Push for Bigger IRS Budget
Tue Feb 1,11:02 AM ET Business - AP
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) will ask Congress to give the Internal Revenue Service (news - web sites) an extra $500 million to pursue tax evaders and increase collections, the Treasury Department (news - web sites) said Tuesday.
The boost would mean a nearly 8 percent increase in the IRS budget for tax enforcement, according to a proposal to be included in the fiscal 2006 budget the president sends to Congress next week.
The extra money would be used for audits, collections and investigations. The president proposed a substantial increase in the IRS enforcement budget last year.
"Increasing enforcement not only catches tax cheats but discourages others from avoiding paying their taxes," said Treasury Secretary John Snow.
Despite heavy lobbying by the IRS, lawmakers whittled down the request. Massive federal budget deficits have put pressure on lawmakers to limit or freeze federal spending.
The IRS has been working to reverse declines in audits and enforcement that began in the late 1990s by focusing on corporate and wealthy tax evaders.
"Enforcement more than pays for itself," said IRS Commissioner Mark Everson. "Particularly in a period of deficit reduction, funding IRS enforcement is a wise investment."
The independent IRS Oversight Board last year said the agency needed a 10 percent budget increase to meet its enforcement goals.
Government studies have shown that costs not accounted for in its budget, including mandatory pay raises, have hampered the agency's ability to step up tax enforcement.
Why are tax receipts down? The high paying middle-class jopbs in manufacturing and the service sector have been shipped to Mexico, India and China. The people who had these jobs don't pay taxes because they don't have jobs. And the immigrants don't pay taxes because they don't have to.
If this isn't satire, I want "small government" Al Gore back.
Bush should be ashamed of himself; as if govenment isn't big or powerful enough.
When TH is government spending going to be addressed!!!
This is absolutely shameful.
Cut spending, Mr. President. Cut spending.
This is good because now the IRS can go after grannies who sell knitted mittens on the side, go after kids hawking kool-aid, go after employers who hire illegal aliens...oops, how did that get in there? Strike that last phrase....go after criminals holding garage sales, go after....
He is his father's son, isn't he.
Bush is pulling wool over our eyes hinting at a national sales tax then announcing this IRS increase.
I agree. This is outrageous. It is impossible to be serious about a national sales tax then give the IRS 1/2 billion more.
You are right about spending. Neither Bush nor most Republicans have the guts to cut spending. They have no spine--just a bunch of slugs.
Tax cheats should be vigorously pursued, and if substantial enough, prosecuted. If they cheat deliberately, they are criminals. Glossing it over with vague chat about the tax code is offensive to you won't cut it. Bush spending 500 million on this, I suspect will raise 3 billion from tax cheats. That is my kind of government program. Punish the cheats, and then punish them some more.
How they keep calling this president conservative is beyond me. Sorta like his daddy.
That's the stick, the carrot should be code simplification.
You really don't see the point. How can you be so shallow about this?
Bush said he is interested in a national sales tax. How serious can he be if he wants to give the IRS $500 million more? You don't need the IRS with the national sales tax. Bush is NOT serious. He lied to us when he said this interests him.
A national sales tax would bring in a hundred fold more in revenue than more aggressive IRS hustling. Talk about cheating? Do you know how much business cheating there is now and how much underground economy there is that bypasses taxable income? Try about $300 billion plus!
You think small--vvery small. Sounds like you are incapable of criticism of anything "R" related and so make execuses for Bush and the "Rs".
I bet you have wonderful things to say about $15 billion to Africa and open borders, am I correct?
Oh dear, you have exposed the dirty little secret of my true motivations for all the public square to see. I confess I want to go after tax cheats because I am Bushbot and GOP apologist totally incapable of objective or independent reasoning or judgment.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.