What he said. Furthermore the tax code is so complex that you never even know if you're in compliance when you sign your return unless the you sign an 1040EZ like dapip. The tax code is so complex that when they test IRS agents to file test returns they are never, ever correct. Throw into the mix the agencies history of abuse and political manipulation and all Americans should be leery.
You forgot that the IRS has their own judges. I've known two IRS judges and no one would want to appear in their court. If there is a court in this country where you are presumed guilty, it's an IRS court.
Unless you are a big Corporation. BigCorp are the rich white dudes of the corporate world, both figuratively and literally. I don't understand why Small Business Owners like to think of themselves as in the same league as Corporate America. They write the code, they have teams of CPAs and lawyers to back it up, they know the judges. Why do you think that they get away with murder? Let's try as SBO to pull out one of the usual stunts done by BigCorp and you'll see that the IRS will throw the book at them and then some. It was educative to read asf rant about his tax audits and about those mean auditors assigned to him; I see where my previous post was misguided, because I forgot the facts that I posted in the previous paragraph. So I will correct myself and I will say that I still want a bigger, meaner IRS, but not to go after small fries like asf and the likes, but after all that people that has real connections and that are the ones actually skimming the economy from the resources it needs. But off course, that will not happen while the GOP is in control of the House and slowly but surely cut funds from government agencies. And I will go even further on my statement and call for @JohnR for more evidence on this: SBO are delusional if they think that they are in the same league as Corporate America and even stupider if they think that the GOP is trying to help them; the GOP work for the top .01% and if you are in the top 1% you might get some spill overs, but other than that, GOP voters are chickens voting for Colonel Sanders.
You correctly identify that the big corporations often write the tax code and the regulations, but you NEVER seem to recognize the government's own culpability in that arrangement.
At this moment Government is ran by big Corporations, it represents wealthy people and its lawmakers are millionaires elected with the money of Billionaires (that steal from the people). I will not even put the institutions themselves at the center of this problem but the political parties and the people of the US that keep voting for people that don't represent them. In other words, if we were able to elect enough people that wanted the Government to work for the American people and not just for a few powerful donors, the same institutions that are at the center of each problem of the US, will be there working to fix things. In other words, borrowing an analogy from the NRA, Governments are just tools that allow the people in power to do good or bad things but they are not intrinsecally good or bad. You can either use those tools to pursue the benefit of all or the benefit of a few and unfortunately the current situation is that the government is working mostly for a few. At least there seem to be some winds of change and we might see some positive changes in the not so distant future.
Governments are the legalized imposition of force. Anyone wanting to use such a thing as a "tool" is misguided at best. This is why they should be minimal, so as to reduce the amount of potential harm they can do to the people.
The government of the US has been reduced in size (except Homeland Security & Defense - but that is by design and it directly benefits BigCorp), during the last 40+ years. So guess who has filled the vacum of the tasks (and the powers) that government can no longer fulfill? Corporations. Corporations have become too big too fail, able to contribute to political campaigns with no limits and even capable of religious beliefs. Unfortunately the only way to achieve some balance between a world run by corporations and a world of intrusive government relies with the voters and with the power they hold to elect and control the people that represent them. No wonder the people in power tries to limit voting and runs a never stopping propaganda machine telling us to support certain candidates.
Kochtopus & the Rollingstone... http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924
Nice slam piece from a publication notorious for doing just that. Do you think John D. Rockefeller is a good guy? Soros?
Kill the messenger. Any comments on the content itself? Does any of Soros'holdings pollute at the level of Kock industries? Did he set up a super PAC or other political groups that are attacking democracy by, lets say sending wrong registration forms? Is Rockefeller conducting some kind of Political campaign in the Shadows or trying to undermine State or Federal government agencies? I don't think that either one is particullary a good guy, or a bad guy. I know for sure neither one is as evil as the Kochs.
I'm not defending the Koch's, just pointing out the irony of your red team/blue team attacks. Rockefeller was as big a polluter as Koch Industries and Soros works in the shadows every bit as much. Equal evils.
Why are the Kochs part of the discussion of IRS abuse and overreach? The fact someone brought them into the conversation shows how morally deficient their thinking is. Anyone that condones using the IRS as a political tool is dangerous to our Democracy .
Lois Lerner should have focused her attention on these political hacks... http://www.reuters.com/article/2015...clinton-taxes-exclusive-idUSKBN0NE0CA20150423
Or the 1,600 tax cheats that still have their jobs and got raises and promotions.... http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/06/politics/irs-tax-violators-watchdog/index.html
IRS investigates political action committees.. IRS investigates some right-leaning PACs... Conservatives feel that IRS is targeting right-leaning PACS... Conservatives demand an investigation of the IRS... DOJ investigates IRS... DOJ clears IRS... Next step? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jason-chaffetz-irs-chief_562fdc84e4b06317990fd88f The Republican chairman of a powerful House committee moved Tuesday to impeach the head of the Internal Revenue Service, saying he violated the public trust and obstructed congressional investigations into the treatment of conservative groups. Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen failed to comply with a congressional subpoena, allowed documents to be destroyed and misled the public. Chaffetz chairs the House Oversight Committee, which has been investigating the IRS for more than two years. Chaffetz called impeachment an appropriate tool to restore public confidence in the IRS and "demonstrate to the American people that the IRS is under repair." The impeachment bid comes less than a week after the Justice Department said no IRS official will face criminal charges in the political controversy over the processing of applications by groups seeking tax-exempt status.
If Billy Martin was still with us, instead of Reggie Jackson and George Steinbrenner, he would be referring to Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and Darryl Issa. "One is a liar and the other convicted!"
You can agree or disagree with the whole IRS issue, but the fact remains the rationale for impeaching the head of the IRS is pretty strong -- he actually did everything they are accusing him of. They aren't impeaching him for investigating conservatives, it's for giving Congress the finger and lying. That's impeachable.
assuming you're right about the underlying facts, I agree. Impeachment is one of the checks and balances imbedded in our system. It's exactly why several Reagan officials, including Reagan, should have been impeached and removed for Iran/Contra. Congress passed a law, Reagan signed it, then there was a pretty large conspiracy to break the law. You can't have that.