Economic Issue of Current Interest
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Economic Issue of Current Interest
Issue of IRS has aroused a heated debate in the political arena thereby dividing the two huge political parties. Some argue that it is a way of punishing the president’s opponents although this has not been proven. The opponents argue that whoever initiated the audit must be politically motivated because it is evident that the audit targeted patriot groups and Tea party organizations. It is interesting for the IRS department to admit that indeed there was a mistake made in the way the issue of influx of tax exempt applications was made initially.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that IRS has been enabled by the law to establish if organizations engage in lawful permissible level of political activity. During the house oversight hearing, the query on whether there was a political criteria involved in the way the issue was handled due to emergence of troubling cases was not well responded to but the Treasury Inspector General promised to respond at a later date.
Republicans feel that there should be a prosecutor who is not loyal to the government of the day to handle the much politicized IRS tax enforcement. Republicans argue that it is not possible for the Attorney General to investigate the administration he is working for. Actually, I also concur with the republicans’ arguments particularly due to the fact that the issue itself is also political. The normal legal process may also take longer period than expected yet the matter is already in the public gallery. Possibly, the IRS tax enforcement issue could have been handled by the congress for quicker outcome. Whatever is important is the exposure of the people behind the selective tax enforcement against conservatives and even why the auditors thought it legitimate to carry out the audit selectively (“No IRS Special Prosecutor” 1).
I believe IRS should be independent in their way of handling cases, leave alone their operations. The selective tax enforcement to a larger extend, has damaged the integrity of such an important body. How then can we trust the institution? Does it mean that the institution only favors the government of the day? I believe the source of this issue should be known to the public as soon as possible. I suppose that congressional committees should dig out the facts and other relevant information even from the executive and failure to release such kind of information may even lead to an impeachment of the president.
Use of special prosecutor may also take time since they are famous for their speed which may extend indictment to another regime but failure of indictment may also be kept secret by the government. It is imperative to note that the special prosecutor may not be able to understand the importance of the matter to the public and address political accountability especially how the case started as well as the pressure behind it (“No IRS Special Prosecutor” 1).
Investigation should include the nature of pressure and the people behind the IRS selective tax system. All Americans must be given equal opportunity regardless of their political affiliations. It is further vital to explore the action of audit particularly on the donors of Republicans campaign especially Mitt Romney’s and other Democrats opponents. The liberty and freedom of people should not be infringed by the government of the day. Use of public resources, privileges and power granted to elected officials to punish the people who are trying to put government in check is undeniably unacceptable. Undoubtedly, whoever may be engaged to investigate the matter such as special prosecutor must be highly scrutinized since the individual may also intend to conceal crucial information thus boosting less political responsibility (“No IRS Special Prosecutor” 1).
Despite blaming the government of the day, it is clear that the U.S tax system need to be simplified since it has given the IRS excess discretion in interpreting and forcing the law. Tax reforms are vital in decreasing the complexity of the tax law although the existence of the opposite forces between Democrats and the Republicans have instilled formidable obstacle as far as the overhaul of the system is concerned. Coming together for the purpose of solving such kind of issues should be given first priority because none of the politicians is sure about their position in the next government.
Probably, the issue of selective tax enforcement would call for complete overhaul of the bureaucratic system such as the tax exempt status. Tax system should be separated from the politics and this is only possible when the complexity of the system is simplified. However, the bureaucracy of the system cannot prompt the IRS to target only specific individuals with specific political affiliations thus evidencing the political influence and partisan. The congress should therefore carry out a serious investigation to detect any criminal behavior with concrete evidence and forward to the Attorney General’s office.
Works Cited
“No IRS Special Prosecutor.” Editorial. Wall Street Journal east. ed. 28 May. 2013: A14. Print.
