Repeal of IRS funding: GOP extolls American virtues but does not practice them

House Republicans made good on a campaign promise on January 11, 2023, by repealing the additional funding for the IRS that was passed in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The latter includes $79 billion for the IRS over a 10-year period. ¹

Newly elected House speaker Kevin McCarthy stated: “Our first bill will repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents, because the government should be here to help you, not go after you.”

The message is that the IRS intends to go after regular Americans and small businesses—the IRS is coming for us!  Social media has been quick at amplifying this message.

It is our job as ‘We the People’ to stay grounded in integrity and truth, and help all Americans who would listen to understand how the GOP is stoking the embers of fears about the IRS and fanning our human passions. By looking at the facts of the situation it becomes quickly apparent that the Republicans intend to detract us from the fact that their move will help giant corporations and the super-wealthy among us to continue to not pay their fair share of taxes.

The goal of the legislation is actually aimed at “high-income and corporate tax evaders”, according to the Treasury Department.

Duke University has a list of reputable organizations that are checking facts on our behalf, such as Fact Checker, PolitiFacts, FactChecks, Lead Stories, Snopes, RealCleanPolitics, to name a few. Turning to their expertise we learn that:

• New IRS workers will NOT target income earners or businesses making less than $400,000. Those of us who make less than this amount will not see an increase in taxes or number of IRS audits.
• An investment of $79 billion will generate $204 billion in revenue over the next decade. This amount reflects taxes that are owed by the wealthiest among us and remain unpaid.
• The IRS has lost 40% of agents who know how to review complicated tax returns of the wealthy, large businesses and corporations.
• Not all new hires will focus on enforcement. A lot of dollars will be spent on hiring employees and IT systems that will improve customer services for Americans.

Republican fear mongering appeals to our emotions, but it does not align with our sense of wisdom and our intrinsic belief in fairness.

It’s simply unacceptable that some among us do not pay the taxes owed under the law and in doing so undermine our ability to create a nation in which all of us can thrive.

Unfortunately, Republicans extoll American virtues in principle and reject them in practice.

¹ House Republicans pass legislation trying to block new IRS funding – ABC News (go.com)