Michael Ramirez for April 18, 2023

And you can bet they are coming for you. The rich continue to have the means to have lawyers and CPAs handle the IRS.

You middle class folks are just raw meat to the IRS.

How about the IRS having computers which aren’t coal-fired? How about enough IRS agents to be able to ensure even the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share?

The IRS needs a lot of money, not only to catch cheaters who deliberately file complicated returns that are expensive to audit (getting just money ALREADY OWED could pay to end hunger in America), they also need to upgrade 1970s vintage equipment, and end the long backlog of paper returns that have not been processed. I saw this and have been waiting to share it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2022/irs-pipeline-tax-return-delays/

The 87,000 “agents” aren’t all for audits. A lot of them are needed to answer the phone, provide information, transcribe paper returns and handle clerical and support work. Not, as some congress man said “to break down your door with AK-15s (sic).

Super rich Republicans are screaming because the IRS might have enough employees to audit their complicated tax reforms which are deliberately complex so they can get out of paying what they really owe.

If you haven’t cheated on your taxes, then you don’t have to worry, right Mr. Ramirez?

fusilier

James 2:24

I don’t like paying taxes any more than anyone else, but I resent that so many are able to subvert the rules and evade their full obligation through loopholes, trickery, and lies. I cannot afford the staff to allow me such unfair advantages. The police have to ticket a Rolls for speeding just as they would ticket me.

Michael! You should know by now that repeating a lie does not make it true! Replacing retirees does not equal releasing hordes of auditors to ravage the public!

Good thing the newer generations don’t peruse the news, I doubt if they would get The Birds reference.

I’ve read that the net result is to replace agents who quit/retired. No real net gain.

Don’t see Rod Taylor, great Alfred Hitchcock reference.

OMG! THE HORROR! I might actually call the IRS and NOT be on hold for an hour! People will have a harder time getting away with tax fraud! Think of the lawyers! They will have to work so much harder to shield the rich from paying their dues!

Grover Norquist might cry…

Just another way to arm the government. does anyone really think we need 87,000 new, armed, IRS agents? Give me a break! A flat tax with no deductions would eliminate the need for any new agents and eliminate the need for 75% of the ones we have. Very simple. Throw in term limits for Congress and we have our Country back.

Now, I know Ramirez is full of it. The 87,000 IRS hires is actually 86,852 for all full-time employees over the course of a decade not solely enforcement agents. Mike is just spreading Republican scary rhetoric also known as BS.

I for one want the IRS to be more efficient with top of the line systems.

Oh for—they aren’t all going to be added at once, it is over what, at least 10 years or so?

It’s about time. Freedom isn’t free.

Well, well, the The Weak, White, Sell-Out Male is back. Evidently you make over $400K a year, so it is hard to feel sorry for you. Won’t be seeing you in church because church members are not supposed to lie like rugs.

Back in the ’50s, when interstates and bridges were being built, ground breaking research being funded, etc., when America was actually considered great, people, especially corporations and the rich paid a much higher portion of income as taxes.

they are not coming for me I pay my taxes how about you

It continues to amaze that the Republicans who comment here somehow believe that extremely wealthy people and patriotic multinational corporations paying a small to no percentage of their income somehow benefits them personally.

And they also believe that a flat tax would apply to everyone equally and there would be NO preferential tax treatment for those same people and corporations that get that preferential treatment now.

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They also deny that wealth inequality has steadily increased over the last 40 years and refuse to look at the data.

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And they cannot comment on the issue of taxes without including LIEs.

Just pointing out that this is NOT 87k new jobs. It’s REPLACEMENT for the folks who have been laid off by repug (mostly) admins and those who are or will soon retire.

Total misrepresentation. Not 87,000 agents, not coming after you, etc. If you believe this you’re as foolish as Ramirez assumes you are.

Omigod! I am SO scared right now, I could shoot people for being at the wrong address!

Thanks for the lies, pubbies!

Here’s the Truth – “The top 1% of taxpayers accounted for more income taxes paid than the bottom 90% combined,” says the Tax Foundation. And it’s not close. “The top 1% of taxpayers paid $723 billion in income taxes while the bottom 90% paid $450 billion.” For the top 1%, that’s 42% of the taxes on 22% of the income. The bottom 50% paid about $39 billion, or about 2.3% in taxes on 10.2% of the income.

simplify the tax code and everyone pays.

I don’t remember the source … so I can’t verify it … I read an article that the IRS tends to audit middle and upper-middle class citizens because audits of the very wealthy is too time consuming (I assume dealing with tax layers) they don’t have the manpower.

It’s always been about the middle class. That’s where the money is and the lawyers and accountants to defend it aren’t. Any Democrat claims to the contrary are lies and will be proven so by next tax season.