As Americans grapple with inflation, higher taxes, and the proliferation of government spending, Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) has sounded the alarm on President Joe Biden’s plan to add 87,000 new IRS agents. What’s the rationale behind this massive expansion of the federal government? According to Donalds, it’s not to catch wealthy tax cheats, but rather to target middle-class families and small business owners. Such a move could stifle economic growth and harm ordinary Americans who are already feeling the pinch of higher prices and taxes.
The Biden administration’s plan to add 87,000 new agents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has drawn widespread criticism from conservatives who believe it will lead to the taxation of middle-class families and small business owners. Republican Congressman Byron Donalds of Florida spoke out against the proposed expansion during an appearance on Meet the Press, arguing that most Americans pay their taxes honestly and do not deserve to be targeted in this way.
Donalds also accused President Biden of trying to scrape “every possible nickel out of every couch of every American” in order to pay for his excessive spending. This charge is not without merit, given that the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan included a provision that requires companies to send users a 1099 self-reporting form if they collect more than $600 through their payment systems. This newfound scrutiny of digital payment services like Venmo and CashApp will likely have a disproportionate impact on small businesses and ordinary citizens who rely on these platforms for everyday transactions.
Meanwhile, House Republicans have introduced legislation that would claw back all unspent dollars allocated to the IRS as part of an $80 billion increase in funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. The goal of this legislation is to protect “honest” taxpayers from an “army” of IRS agents who might be tempted to nickel-and-dime the public with frivolous audits. Given the agency’s long history of abuses and scandals – from the targeting of conservative groups during the Obama years to the recent disappearance of its investigative team from the Hunter Biden case – it’s no wonder that many Americans are wary of giving the IRS any more power.
In fact, there are serious concerns that the IRS will use its expanded workforce not to target wealthy tax evaders but to go after small business owners and middle-class families. Under the guise of cracking down on so-called “tax cheats,” the agency could unfairly burden hardworking Americans with an avalanche of audits, fines, and penalties. This could have disastrous consequences for the economy as a whole, particularly at a time when many small businesses are struggling to recover from the pandemic.
It’s important to remember that the IRS is not infallible; far from it. In recent years, whistleblowers have come forward with evidence of systemic corruption, political bias, and even criminal activity within the agency. For example, the decision to remove the investigative team from the Hunter Biden case has been widely condemned as an act of retaliation, further eroding public trust in the IRS. All of this raises legitimate concerns about the government’s ability to manage its own finances and treat taxpayers fairly.
The Biden administration’s push to increase the number of IRS agents is yet another example of the left’s insatiable desire to control and dominate every aspect of Americans’ lives. This move is not about catching wealthy tax evaders, but rather expanding the government’s reach into the homes and businesses of middle-class Americans. The Republican Party is right to push back against this oppressive action and protect honest taxpayers from being harassed by an army of IRS agents. At the end of the day, the conservative position on the IRS expansion is clear: it is a misguided, unnecessary, and potentially harmful policy that will do more harm than good. Instead of adding more bureaucrats to an already bloated agency, we should be focusing on empowering Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money and stimulating economic growth. The IRS may claim to be fighting for “tax fairness,” but in reality, it’s just another case of big government run amok.
