Say Anything Blog

The average tax collection from high-earners (over $100,000.00) who had face-to-face audits was $27,600.00, while “mail audits” of the same group averaged $15,110.00.
the IRS increased its audits of “wealthy” taxpayers this year, and collected a record $43 BILLION dollars in unpaid taxes.

thepriceofliberty.org

Sure looks like the rich are getting special treatment--especially bad treatment.

Sure looks like the rich are getting special treatment--especially bad treatment.
Bike Bubba on July 22, 2008 at 02:53 pm

It’s hard to weep for celebrities with tax problems. After all, their troubles often begin with their attempts to avoid paying the full taxes on their considerable incomes--even though they already can, without cheating, write off many expenses that ordinary people can’t.

Poor babies! Treated realy bad. My heart goes out to them.

But is that really true, Ellinas?  Reality is that the IRS’s own officers are said to give incorrect answers to fairly basic tax questions over half the time.  Now convolve that statistic with an audit of dozens of pages of tax forms, and throw in a threat of jail time for real or perceived perjury.

What do you have?  You have a persecution machine, pure and simple. 

Oh, and by the way; there are no tax shelters available to the rich that are not available to the poor.  The rich have more incentive and resources to make use of them, but the same laws do apply to all.

the IRS increased its audits of “wealthy” taxpayers this year, and collected a record $43 BILLION dollars in unpaid taxes.

And how much did those audits cost us in resources?

I notice you lift that bit out.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

The tax code is a tool of oppression. It creates criminals by its very nature. Both sides are equally guilty of loading the code and selectivly applying it. Both sides use it to influence society instead of what it is supposed to do. It is corrupt and should be replaced with a simple national sales tax. Pay up front, pay as you go, and dont live under the oppression of an all powerful agency whos job is to take your $$, even if it cost them twice as much to get it as you actually owe. Its stupid, and the blame can be spread out pretty evenly, including those of us who have put these gangsters in office over and over again.

Oh, and by the way; there are no tax shelters available to the rich that are not available to the poor.  The rich have more incentive and resources to make use of them, but the same laws do apply to all.

Bike Bubba on July 22, 2008 at 03:34 pm

I did not say they don’t apply to everybody.
Yet what good is a tax shelter that the average working stiff cannot use? It essentialy has the same effect as being available only to the rich.

It reminds me of a law that Bob Dole sponsored,(and congressman form both sides of the aisle voted in favor of), many many years ago that only applied to the Gallo family. The law allowed the Gallo’s to avoid paying $20,000,000 in taxes. As soon as the Gallos’ completed the property transfer the law expired.