Following up on yesterday's post, Fire All 678 Congressional Staffers Who Are Tax Deadbeats?: Politico, Democrats Pull Tax Cheat Bill:
Legislation that would force government and Hill staffers to pay back taxes or lose their jobs was pulled from House committee markup today after Democrats hit the brakes.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee that oversees government workers, told POLITICO he was concerned that the legislation would kick workers to the curb before it could be determined if the IRS had erred. “The employee can fight it, but they don’t have a job,” Lynch said during a committee markup today.
“In 80% of [default] cases there is a dispute,” Lynch later told POLITICO. “The people are arguing with the IRS about business expenses, non-business expenses, deductions, tax credits and exemptions. And in a lot of these cases, the IRS turns out to be wrong. I’m not sure how many of those cases apply to Senate and House staffers, but just because you’re fighting with the IRS doesn’t mean you’re wrong.” …
[S]ome Republicans, including Chaffetz, said he suspects that’s not the only reason why Democrats didn’t support it. “I think the subtext is the Democrat’s support for unions.”
- David Brunori, What is Up with Congressional Staffers Not Paying Taxes?
(Hat Tip: Woody McNair.)
