If you have fallen behind on your taxes, you may be interested to know that some of the very people tasked with enforcing the tax code are delinquent on their taxes as well. This lack of compliance is not just present among IRS employees; many federal employees have overdue tax debts. A good argument could be made for relieving these public employees from duty, and that argument is being made by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).
Rep. Chaffetz introduced a bill that would require the removal of federal employees who are not paying their taxes. In addition, potential federal employees with significant tax debts would no longer be eligible for hire. He believes that tax delinquent employees are biting the hands that feed them and that their lack of compliance is indicative of the quality of work the American people can expect from them. Continue reading
Because Congress took forever to pass the American Taxpayer Relief Act (“ATRA”), the IRS was not equipped to process forms affected by ATRA. On March 20, 2013, the IRS announced that it would provide relief from late payment penalties for taxpayers filing 2012 returns with forms delayed by passage of ATRA. 