IRS Needs Facelift; Should Taxpayers Have to Foot the Bill?

You already know about the IRS and their search for the ideal marketing firm to help improve their image.  The top PR firms in the nation are salivating over the $15 million contract that is currently on the table.  But should taxpayers have to pay for this sort of thing?  At least one lawmaker believes they should not.

Kansas Senator, Jerry Moran, is seeking to amend a FY 2013 appropriations bill so that the IRS would have to find alternate funding for public relations services.

The IRS would not spend that kind of money if it didn’t think it would improve revenue collection, right?  Some see a correlation between a positive image and voluntary compliance.  Still, in this economy it’s hard to see how some taxpayers are going to find the money to pay their back tax debt simply because the IRS seems like a “nice enough” creditor.  According to Senator Moran, there are other ways to improve the IRS’ image:

As the nation’s tax collector, the IRS already has a relationship with every person in the country. It’s hard to imagine that American taxpayers would be pleased to know the IRS is spending their money on promoting itself and its products. If the IRS genuinely wants to improve its image with Americans, it needs to work with Congress to develop a simpler, fairer tax code.

~  U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)