Pres-O to double IRS enforcement budget

[absdes96]

But, it may be good time to send in a resume to the IRS. Hmmmm....

[Judge Roy Bean]

What a waste. Instead of simplification, the geniuses in Washington will buy and throw cotton balls at the bullet wounds.

[Nikki]

It's part of the economic stimulus program:

Provide employment for a few hundred attorneys and CPAs who were laid off in the financial melt-down.

[jcolvin2]

Heard at the ABA Tax Section meeting in DC:

IRS Appeals is hiring 300 new employees. This may be the largest single hiring program in Appeals' history. IRS Chief Counsel is also planning to hire 400 over the next two years, with the bulk of the new hires being in the field instead of the National Office.

[Nikki]

Heard at the ABA Tax Section meeting in DC:

IRS Appeals is hiring 300 new employees. This may be the largest single hiring program in Appeals' history. IRS Chief Counsel is also planning to hire 400 over the next two years, with the bulk of the new hires being in the field instead of the National Office.

Except that IRS is hiring 10 times as many and neither one has adequate office space available.

[Famspear]

Heard at the ABA Tax Section meeting in DC:

IRS Appeals is hiring 300 new employees. This may be the largest single hiring program in Appeals' history. IRS Chief Counsel is also planning to hire 400 over the next two years, with the bulk of the new hires being in the field instead of the National Office.

Except that IRS is hiring 10 times as many and neither one has adequate office space available.

Say Nikki, did you know that there are people who own office buildings who, now follow me if you can, lease out part or all of their office building to those willing to pay a monthly fee (called "rent")? Yep, I am pulling your leg.

Right now, in most if not all cities there is a glut of office space and the IRS can probably rent all the space they want on the cheap.

Based on what I've seen, Chief Counsel should have no problem finding qualified -- and near desperate -- candidates. With the economy as it is, the job market is apparently saturated with J.D.s (many with CPA or LL.M. or both).

For tales of woe, see:

http://www.taxtalent.com/forum/index.cf ... AT=general

[Nikki]

Except that IRS is hiring 10 times as many and neither one has adequate office space available.

Say Nikki, did you know that there are people who own office buildings who, now follow me if you can, lease out part or all of their office building to those willing to pay a monthly fee (called "rent")? Yep, I am pulling your leg.

Right now, in most if not all cities there is a glut of office space and the IRS can probably rent all the space they want on the cheap.

Which would be great if Congress had appropriated additional money, with the new employees, for things like office space, furniture, their computers, etc.

All the IRS (and Counsel and Appeals) got was bodies.

[Nikki]

Any of which would be great, except that there's no money appropriated.

[absdes96]

It's part of the economic stimulus program:

Provide employment for a few hundred attorneys and CPAs who were laid off in the financial melt-down.

The new "No Attorney or CPA Life Behind Program".

[Number Six]

It's about time. I would like to see the level of enforcement and tax rates before the Reagan years with his mantra "government isn't the solution, government is the problem".

I just don't get it. With the most powerful software and computers that have ever existed, this is probably a time of lower tax compliance than the 1980's. I don't want a fascist government, but there must be a bureaucrat out there who could order a review of any given area of tax shortfall and a tax comliance strategy to address it.

So how is the tax system "broken" as the President asserted last week, with TS Geithner and Commissioner Douglas Shulman at his side? It would be interesting to know how much data-crunching is being outsourced to Bangalore...

[Demosthenes]

With the most powerful software and computers that have ever existed

The IRS is kind of famous over the decades for having archaic computers...

[webhick]

With the most powerful software and computers that have ever existed

The IRS is kind of famous over the decades for having archaic computers...

I don't see what the problem is, vacuum tubes and punch cards are practically bleeding edge.

[Number Six]

I remember Congressman Ron Paul in one of his newsletters many years ago alerting his readers that even his Republican collegues were pushing to increase the IRS budget to upgrade their computers, much to his chagrin. I guess he prefers the honor system.