Seriously, how dare Republicans practice the art of Politics, using something like doubling the funding of the IRS which would mean doubling the number of employees! Sure, they won’t all be “agents”, they’ll be plenty of support staff, who can go through everyone’s tax returns, looking for the tiniest mistake. Think they’re really going to spend time on the rich, be it individuals or companies, who have lots of highly paid accountants and lawyers, or the average citizen/small business, who doesn’t?
IRS becomes GOP boogeyman ahead of midterms
As Republicans rail against the FBI in the wake of last week’s search at Mar-a-Lago, they are also hyping the danger to voters from another three-letter federal agency: the IRS.
The GOP is warning that the $80 billion funding boost to the IRS included in Democrats’ tax, climate and health care package, which President Biden signed into law on Tuesday, will target middle-class Americans with an “army” of new enforcement agents.
The calls have become a key part of Republicans’ messaging ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a video earlier this week that slams Democrats for expanding the IRS, arguing that it will harm everyday Americans despite Democrats’ insistence that the extra funding is intended to make sure wealthy taxpayers and corporations don’t stiff the government.
“Biden and Democrats are out-of-touch and do not care about the pain and suffering they are causing Americans. Democrats celebrate raising taxes on families during a recession they created and weaponizing the IRS to target small businesses and hardworking Americans,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.
But, see, we’re supposed to take the word of Democrats that Bad Things will never happen when a federal agency full of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats are given more power and funding
Democrats, the Biden administration and various fact-checkers have pushed back on the claims. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig that audit rates should not “rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000 annually” and that new resources should not be directed to audits of families or businesses that fall below those levels. Yellen wrote that “enforcement resources will focus on high-end noncompliance.”
Remember, Democrats killed an amendment that would have stopped the IRS from going after people making less than $400k. The same Democrats said the bill was about reducing inflation, and it doesn’t do that at all (sidebar: had this convo IRL with a Trump Deranged coworker, asked him numerous times how the bill reduces inflation, couldn’t answer). Remember this about Obamacare?
But people with no pre-existing conditions like Vinson, a 60-year-old retired teacher, and Waschura, a 52-year-old self-employed engineer, are making up the difference.
“I was laughing at Boehner — until the mail came today,”
Waschura said, referring to House Speaker John Boehner, who is leading the Republican charge to defund Obamacare.
“I really don’t like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family’s pocket each year, that’s otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy.”
“Of course, I want people to have health care,” Vinson said. “I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”
Can’t wait till the same Democrats defending the IRS realize they are the ones getting scrutinized by the IRS, getting audited, and paying the taxes.
Read: Credentialed Media Seem Surprised That GOP Would Turn The IRS Into Boogeymen »