House of Representatives Votes To Cut IRS Budget

Times are tough for everyone. We can verify this now because the House of Representatives has voted to cut the IRS budget for the coming tax year. 

I’m no fan of taxes. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of our overgrown government, particularly since it costs so much to keep it functioning. Given all of this, I still find it surprising that the House of Representatives has voted to cut the budget of the IRS. The cuts would be in the amount of roughly 5 percent of the 2010 budget. 

The odd thing about this is we are talking about the agency that is charged with enforcing the tax code and collecting the money the House of Representatives loves to spend so lavishly. It effectively serves to cut its own budget in doing so. 

The reaction of the IRS is predictable. It is claiming the 5 percent cut will lead to a disaster and that it will be rendered impotent for all purpose. The classic point in the argument comes from the taxpayer advocate who has reported the IRS would have to become less taxpayer friendly if the smaller budget goes through. 

Okay, how many of us consider the IRS to be taxpayer friendly? Yeah, I’ll wait while you find the first person to answer yes. This could take a while!

So, have Republicans successfully tamed the IRS? Nope. The House can pass all the bills it wants. Unless the Senate decides to agree and the President signs the law, it is all for naught. In this case, the Republican majority is simply trying to score political points. The IRS will end up with either the same budget as last year or more money. 

You can bet on it!