...the GOP certainly haven't let their histrionic zeal for cutting Government programs, what they call deficit reduction, deter their efforts in aiding and abetting tax evaders.....
http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2011-04-13-debatetax-enforcement-USABrd_ST_U.htm...The IRS allocation is about $500 million below Obama's request and is frozen at last year's level of $12.1 billion. This is, to be sure, better than an additional $600 million in cuts that Republicans originally pushed for, and which IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said would rob the Treasury of $4 billion in revenue. But the cut still looks costly.
The IRS estimates that each year it collects 15% to 16.6% less than what it would get if all taxes owed were paid. That’s roughly $300 billion, or one-fifth of this year’s deficit. About 80% of unpaid taxes result from underreporting of income. If controlling the federal debt is the nation’s biggest domestic priority, which it should be, going after this “tax gap” should be one of Congress’ first lines of attack. Instead, the tax collector is an object of hostility.
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