IRS Enforcement of ObamaCare

As you may know, the IRS is supposed to be the agency to oversee enforcement of the new health care law, in the event that it does not get thrown out.  Perhaps the reasoning there was, they’ve been so good at denying tax relief over the years, they’re now ready for more responsibilities.

But the IRS really doesn’t want this additional duty.  They would have to hire 4,000 new employees, and they would have to train them (along with their current personnel) to do something they have never done before.  Furthermore, the IRS definitely doesn’t want to have to deal with all the thorny privacy issues that would crop up.

Apparently the IRS is moving forward with the hiring spree without waiting to see if ObamaCare makes it or not.  As some point out, it’s not only about ObamaCare; they are needed to enforce the current tax laws and collect taxes regardless of what happens.

See the recent Fox News debate.  Steve Forbes expresses probably some of the most bold opinions in this short debate.  He thinks that the numbers used to convince Congress to pour more money into the IRS have been spun — the idea that through IRS enforcement efforts, the government collects $4 in revenue for every $1 spent to collect is bogus.

Forbes and others agree that our focus should be on simplifying the tax code, not spending more on enforcement.

IRS to Hire 4,000 New Employees

“[I]t’s a power grab. So even if the ObamaCare gets thrown out those agents will be there to harass us. What we need as a nation is fewer tax collectors and more entrepreneurs. We need tax simplification and these IRS agents should be able to contribute to the economy instead of sucking the blood out of it.

~ Steve Forbes