The great IRS/Tea party scandle fizzles

[boedicca]

Stop w/ the farce Republicans

GOP War on the IRS Costs U.S. Billions | Crooks and Liars

January 12, 2012 07:00 PM
GOP War on the IRS Costs U.S. Billions

For any American concerned about the federal budget deficit, job one must be to collect all of the tax revenue owed to the United States Treasury. That's why supposed Republican deficit hawks simply aren't serious about the national debt. After all, a new report confirmed that steep GOP budget cuts at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are hurting customer service, delaying refunds and costing Uncle Sam billions of dollars annually. Thanks to the never-ending Republican war on the IRS dating back to the late 1990's, tax evasion and cheating are now depriving the U.S. of $400 billion each year.

In April, Congressional Republicans extracted $600 million in cuts from the IRS in return for a spending deal with President Obama, reductions which at the time were forecast to cost the Treasury $4 billion in lost revenue. Now, the annual report to Congress from the National Taxpayer Advocate shows, "IRS is not adequately funded to serve taxpayers or collect revenue." As the AP explained:

Crooks and Liars needs to do better fact checking.

The Internal Revenue Service avoided a $603 million budget cut proposed by House Republicans, preventing changes that could have cost the government $4 billion in uncollected revenue.

Under the proposed spending bill released today, the IRS budget for fiscal year 2011 would be $12.1 billion, or 0.2 percent less than in fiscal 2010. That level would subject the IRS to the same across-the-board funding cut as all domestic, non-defense agencies.

The legislation would deny the IRS a $486 million budget increase it had sought as it tries to improve enforcement of tax laws aimed at wealthy individuals and multinational corporations. House Republicans touted the denial of the IRS increase when they announced the budget agreement with the administration April 8.

The spending bill, which is expected to become law within the week, isn’t likely to lead to immediate changes at the IRS, said Kevin Brown, a principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Washington who was acting IRS commissioner in 2007. . . .

. . . The IRS budget has increased in each of the past 10 years, according to the agency. This year, Brown said, the IRS has more flexibility to absorb a flat budget because it doesn’t have to cover a pay raise for federal employees, who have had their salaries frozen.

In 2010, the IRS had a workforce of 94,711. That’s higher than in any year since 2004, though below the peak employment in 1992 of 116,673

IRS Spared From Budget Cuts as U.S. Agency Seeks Revenue From Tax Cheats - Bloomberg

Apparently the federal government is TOO VAST for Dottie to know where all the funding goes.

 

[Foxfyre]

Stop w/ the farce Republicans

GOP War on the IRS Costs U.S. Billions | Crooks and Liars

Crooks and Liars needs to do better fact checking.

The Internal Revenue Service avoided a $603 million budget cut proposed by House Republicans, preventing changes that could have cost the government $4 billion in uncollected revenue.

Under the proposed spending bill released today, the IRS budget for fiscal year 2011 would be $12.1 billion, or 0.2 percent less than in fiscal 2010. That level would subject the IRS to the same across-the-board funding cut as all domestic, non-defense agencies.

The legislation would deny the IRS a $486 million budget increase it had sought as it tries to improve enforcement of tax laws aimed at wealthy individuals and multinational corporations. House Republicans touted the denial of the IRS increase when they announced the budget agreement with the administration April 8.

The spending bill, which is expected to become law within the week, isn’t likely to lead to immediate changes at the IRS, said Kevin Brown, a principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Washington who was acting IRS commissioner in 2007. . . .

. . . The IRS budget has increased in each of the past 10 years, according to the agency. This year, Brown said, the IRS has more flexibility to absorb a flat budget because it doesn’t have to cover a pay raise for federal employees, who have had their salaries frozen.

In 2010, the IRS had a workforce of 94,711. That’s higher than in any year since 2004, though below the peak employment in 1992 of 116,673

IRS Spared From Budget Cuts as U.S. Agency Seeks Revenue From Tax Cheats - Bloomberg

Apparently the federal government is TOO VAST for Dottie to know where all the funding goes.

Dottie apparently thinks the Republicans hold all the power in Washington. They don't. Any spending bills have to be agreed on by a Democrat controlled Senate and signed by President Obama. So to blame the Republicans for ANYTHING related to spending sounds pretty hollow to the informed and honest.

We CAN give the Republicans or Democrats, when the shoe fits, credit for pushing for fiscal integrity and responsibility. I won't applaud anybody in Congress of whatever party or the President when they continue to spend money that we don't have on things that it doesn't have to be spent on.

 

[Oldstyle]

Hmmmm, how many of "them" are political groups? ALL, how many should not have to pay taxes? NONE. how many were denied status? NONE thats why there is NO scandle, thats fact. all this is was an attempt to try and paint the IRS is a bad light so that the attack on healthcare could begin again. simple. Not to mention under the Bush admin. "left wing" groups were targeted. NOTHING WAS DONE, reason? its not a scandel. the IRS can target anyone they want. Also the POTUS has ZERO influence on the IRS and the IRS is not affiliated with either party. story over.

Are you always this clueless? It obvious from the above post that you wouldn't know a "fact" if it ran up your pant leg and bit you on the willy. Do yourself a favor...start gleaning your "facts" from someplace other than MSNBC and Think Progress.

 

[Foxfyre]

Hmmmm, how many of "them" are political groups? ALL, how many should not have to pay taxes? NONE. how many were denied status? NONE thats why there is NO scandle, thats fact. all this is was an attempt to try and paint the IRS is a bad light so that the attack on healthcare could begin again. simple. Not to mention under the Bush admin. "left wing" groups were targeted. NOTHING WAS DONE, reason? its not a scandel. the IRS can target anyone they want. Also the POTUS has ZERO influence on the IRS and the IRS is not affiliated with either party. story over.

You're right. None were denied status (yet) but their applications were intentionally delayed until after the two most recent election cycles were completed while no progressive groups had their applications held up. Can you get that? Are you okay with that?

Please link to any credible evidence of leftwing or any other legitimate 501c(4) applications the Bush administration held up for anybody. If you can't find any, we'll have to assume you make stuff up in order to have any argument at all. Are you okay with that?

And the POTUS has zero influence on the IRS? Really? He appoints the commissioner, the head guy of the agency and pushes legislation calling for 2,000 or more new IRS agents, requests and submits the agency budget, but he has no influence on the IRS? Do you have a clue what the duties of the President even are? He is the CEO of the country and is the top guy over ALL government agencies and is ultimately responsible for the efficiency and effectiveness of all of them. Are you okay with that?

 

[RoadVirus]

fizzling is right. No one but teapublicans care about this. The workers were overwhelmed due to the Citizens United ruling and subsequent flood of fake rw *cough* "social education" groups while simultaneously having their budget cut. The did what Republicans, up until this point had no prob with, they profiled. BFD

Keep telling yourself that if it's what allows you to sleep at night.

 

[tjvh]

The Democrats are having a meltdown.

 

[RoadVirus]

Not to mention under the Bush admin. "left wing" groups were targeted. NOTHING WAS DONE, reason? its not a scandel.

How many of those left wing groups also recieved visits by the ATF, OSHA and FBI?

Also the POTUS has ZERO influence on the IRS

And yet, during the Nixon administration....

 

[Dot Com]

Again, as with Benghazi, what has fizzled – or was never at issue to begin with – is the idiotic, partisan notion that this will lead to ‘impeachment’ of the president.

yep. Another non-issue blown up to epic proportions fizzles. Maybe the next scandal eh repubs?

 

[regent]

It seems one of these scandals should take off but none do. Is the problem they are same old stuff in a new wrapper or they just don't measure up in size? Certainly, Republicans spend hours looking over scandal possibilities, nursing them along, adding a little here and there and then bingo, dead. Are foreign scandals better than domestic, personal better than group. Even the old standbys, socialism and communism don't seem to frighten many anymore. By now there should be scads of manuals written on how to create, select and nourish political scandals. Maybe not?

 

[Foxfyre]

It seems one of these scandals should take off but none do. Is the problem they are same old stuff in a new wrapper or they just don't measure up in size? Certainly, Republicans spend hours looking over scandal possibilities, nursing them along, adding a little here and there and then bingo, dead. Are foreign scandals better than domestic, personal better than group. Even the old standbys, socialism and communism don't seem to frighten many anymore. By now there should be scads of manuals written on how to create, select and nourish political scandals. Maybe not?

Oh the manuals are out there along with how to get media time and lists of the provocative words/terms assigned to use and the talking points to memorize and work into every conversation. I was working on a political campaign awhile back and was slotted to address a group on behalf of the candidate. I was handed the talking points I was expected to work into my remarks. They were sooooo dishonest, I cancelled the speech, left that campaign and ultimately voted for his opponent. I was angry with myself for being sold a huge bill of goods to support a guy I really thought was okay. And in fact, he mght have been but his campaign organization sure wasn't.

The guy I voted for won that election and turned out to be a person I came to know and respect as the most capable and honest person I have EVER known in politics before or since. Unfortunately he died of uncontrollable skin cancer some years ago, and I still mourn his passing. His name was Steve Schiff. RIP.

As for current scandals, I'm suspecting they are actually participating in stirring some of these up to dilute the media storm so to speak and divert attention from the scandals that are the most damning.

And it also diverts attention from and thereby shelters the teflon President from having to expose the glaring problems with his views on immigration, budgets, spending, Obamacare, Middle East policy, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Oldstyle]

It seems one of these scandals should take off but none do. Is the problem they are same old stuff in a new wrapper or they just don't measure up in size? Certainly, Republicans spend hours looking over scandal possibilities, nursing them along, adding a little here and there and then bingo, dead. Are foreign scandals better than domestic, personal better than group. Even the old standbys, socialism and communism don't seem to frighten many anymore. By now there should be scads of manuals written on how to create, select and nourish political scandals. Maybe not?

This notion that the present scandals only exist because Republicans nursed them along borders on farce, Regent. You're literally looking at an Administration that has scandals erupting in every department it oversees. That isn't something "manufactured" by diabolical conservatives...it's symptomatic of a group of people who don't know how to DO the jobs that they were given. You've got idealists trying to run complex organizations and they don't have a CLUE how to do that!

Now it's being revealed that the State Department covered up criminal misbehavior by it's personnel and once again Hilary Clinton swears that the first she heard of it was from the news media. I think we're learning why the Obama White House wanted to tap the phone lines and e-mails of reporters! They needed to know what was going on in their own administration!!!