Tom Toles for January 20, 2015

The public gets a trip to the hardware store for an rechargeable screwdriver enema.

Congressmen get even more bribes and payoffs campaign contributions.

You know, corporations are people.

A friend went to work for IRS, put on corporate “dodgers”. IN his first two cases, he proved fraud and collected over 20 million dollars in unpaid taxes. The “powers that be” (A Congressperson) got him transferred to working on drug dealers. Now the CONGRESS has cut the budget in their legislation to “micro-manage” the agency, and lay off investigators. The toon has it correct.

But I bet they’ll keep investigating small fry dodgers – minimum wage earners especially.

Okay, maybe not minimum wage earners, but middle class guys.

The results don’t seem to have any effect on government spending…

The estimate is that for each dollar cut from the IRS budget, SIX dollars will be lost in unpaid taxes. Honest taxpayers who only want to do the right thing, and pay their fair share as the law directs and intends, will be unaffected by these cuts. Except insofar as they will increase the deficit. The only ones who will benefit will be lawbreakers, like political action committees that pretend to be non-profit social service groups to avoid paying taxes … oh, wait, that’s right, these cuts were made BECAUSE the some few IRS officials had the temerity to try to enforce the law on such groups. … Not that there would have been a problem if they had confined such efforts to Democratic and Progressive groups … it was including the others that got them into trouble. (Imagine that? Lawmakers preventing the enforcement of the law against people who work illegally to get those very same lawmakers elected. Who could have seen that coming?) These cuts were specifically intended to reward and protect lawbreaking. Once, Americans were called upon to serve in a militia (and risk their lives in regular service if drafted), to join posses to chase bad guys, required by law to close their businesses and run down the street to fight a fire, required by law provide work on public roads, etc. Now we hire people to do these things for us, and what were personal obligations of time and sweat now become money payments in taxes. Even voting was a legal obligation and those who failed to vote could be punished. All we demand of our citizens now is to serve on a jury once in a blue moon, and obey the laws that, through their representatives, they have agreed upon, including the tax laws. That’s it. It isn’t much. Tax evasion is worse in many ways than, oh, scamming money from an old lady. In the latter case, you cheat, defraud, and betray an individual. In the former you cheat, defraud, and betray your country. If the members of congress believe that the tax code is unreasonable or unfair, they should change it. Leaving it alone, and then giving a pass to those who violate it, especially while pretending to be SO VERY concerned with government debt, takes hypocrisy (not to mention stupidity) to a level rarely seen, even in congress. Then again, these are the same folks who rail against illegal immigration and then object to spending money for the enforcement of immigration laws, and give a pass to those who employ large numbers of “undocumented” workers, who object not so much to illegal immigration as to the treatment of illegal immigrants as human beings. End of early-morning rant.

my wife and I are on SS retirement, she makes a few extra dollars on the side…WE PAY TAXES ON WHAT WE EARN AND ON SS ALSO…so do most of the persons in my situation…how can you say we are mooches?

SizeofaPea: You can’t spell “Harleyquinn” without “lie”.

Flat tax. Problem solved.

Although you are correct that conservative Republicans are often more directly related to helping shield people (and people/corporations) with deep pockets from having to pay taxes, please keep in mind that they couldn’t do this without at least some help from Democrats. Neither party is totally in charge; both parties dance with them that brung them. Citizen’s United made this far worse, but it was bad before that decision.

Remember that if Republicans were always wrong, and Democrats were always right, even Republicans would have to see this eventually. It’s not that easy. Both sides talk a good game, but they don’t play it the way they talk.

Tax speculation at the same rate as work, instead of a lower rate, at each income level. Toss ALL deductions (only those for the rich are “loopholes”, of course) overboard, lower the rates but keep them progressive. The tax preparers will no longer be needed, the forms now being simple, so possibly they can be put to work doing something useful like picking up litter.

Oh, and of course, people who inherit their money should be put to work picking up the litter left behind by Clydesdales or elephants……..

Maybe I’m reading into the cartoon, but somehow I’ve got the feeling that the “rich guy” was rich the day the day his grandfather was born, and that the “well-paid tax preparer” is closer to a mob lawyer than to the normal average basic H & R Block crowd. (H & R Block was founded right here in Kansas City, of course, as was a certain comic strip syndicate……..)

thank you dtroutma about the story about your fictional buddy [ I have been on both side of the desk] /// if the preparer is any good no amount of enforcement will change the amount // by the way the cuts were to stop harassment of people oppose to bho //

The IRS guys who got called out were Republicans, Remember what the IRS is for? Law enforcement.

Of course, Pea. You see, it turns out that the Founding Fathers were only half right. Not only is taxation WITHOUT representation tyranny, nowadays taxation THROUGH representation is robbery. The right of the people to levy taxes through (and ONLY through) their duly elected representatives is now denied. And the people who collect those taxes are now villains. Just as now government, not bad government, but ANY government is now “the problem.”

…"Woe to you scribes. pharisees, HYPOCRITES…!…

…"Woe to you scribes pharisees…HYPOCRITES…!…

…Woe to you scribe, pharisee…HYPOCRITE!…

Let’s eliminate income taxes, estate taxes, etc. Eliminate the IRS.