LETTER: The IRS army gets bigger

Greg Scherr Las Vegas

2 years ago

FILE - In this March 22, 2013 file photo, the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building ... — FILE – In this March 22, 2013 file photo, the exterior of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. As millions of Americans file their income tax returns, their chances of getting audited by the IRS have rarely been so low. The number of people audited by the IRS last year dropped for the sixth straight year, to just over 1 million. The last time so few people were audited was 2004, when the population was significantly smaller. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

We’ve heard a lot about the IRS hiring 87,000 agents at a cost of $80 billion in order, according to some people, to prevent billionaires from taking illegal deductions. They say they’re “not paying what they owe.” However, they’re only following the tax laws as they’re written.

If the IRS wants to collect tens of billions of dollars at essentially no cost, Congress should rewrite the laws that allow these deductions. Then those who are currently paying less taxes legally will still follow the new rules and pay more — and we don’t have to hire $80 billion worth of people.