A recent letter asked Mark Kelly to answer this: "Why did the hiring of $87,000 IRS agents arrive before President Biden's request for 100,000 police officers"? I will answer for Mark.
Can we agree that cheating on your taxes or robbery are both crimes and should be prosecuted?
Police spending in the US has increased 179% in inflation-adjusted dollars since 1973. Most people want more police. Hence Biden asks for 100,000 more officers.
The IRS budget is down about 20% since 2010. Audits of those making over $500K have plummeted 3-fold but audits of lower incomes are only down slightly. Infrastructure at the IRS badly needs an upgrade. The wait time when calling the IRS is interminable.
Additional funding for the IRS is not to hound the average person. It is to go after rich tax cheats that feel they can get away with it. It also helps bring computer systems and administration into the 21st century.
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Both are important. The IRS needs it more.
Lee LaFrese
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
