No Brainer

November 19, 2004

The IRS is one of the few federal agencies that can make money back on its funding. As this article mentions, last year they were allocated about $10.2 billion in enforcement funding, and brought in $43.1 billion in tax revenues as a result. So when the commissioner asks for $500 million more, it seems pretty easy to figure out that this will bring in even more lost revenue.

And remember, this isn't "new" taxation, it's just money that should have been paid but wasn't, possibly (and probably, in the cases they pursue) because the party in question intended to avoid paying them. Any honest American should be in favor of the IRS pursuing those who aren't paying their fair share. Besides the fact that its ethically dubious for people not to pay into the system that they benefit from, it also makes everyone else have to pay a bigger piece in the long run.