‘Ironic’ Revenue Service

 

Sen. Mike Johanns

What would you think if you saw a mechanic broke down on the side of the road? Or what if you met a vegetarian rancher? When folks don’t practice what they preach, they put their credibility on the line. Turns out, this is the case for some at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and on the line with their credibility is your hard-earned tax dollars.

A new report by the Treasury’s Inspector General for Tax Administration revealed that the IRS issued nearly $3 million in performance-based bonuses to personnel who had violated tax laws or had broken agency policy. About half of the IRS staff in question were behind on their own taxes.  How’s that for ironic?
This news is just the latest chapter in a sordid saga of broken trust. Just last year, we learned the IRS had been singling out organizations based on political views. The agency was found to be heavily scrutinizing certain conservative groups when reviewing their tax documents. Punishing a segment of the population based on their beliefs is not only un-American; it is also illegal for the IRS to do. This agency is supposed to be impartial in its administration of our nation’s tax laws.  Instead, it targeted those who might challenge the Administration’s views.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew knew about these IRS practices when he testified before Congress that politics shouldn’t influence the execution of our tax laws. Just days later, we found out that the opposite had been going on at IRS for over two years. Last week, in a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, I pressed Secretary Lew and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen about these issues, the consequences for such unscrupulous behavior, and what is being done to ensure it never happens again.
All tax payers depend on the IRS for the fair and equitable administration of tax law. These IRS actions are troubling regardless of your political views. They have greatly eroded the public trust. Because of it, the IRS already had a mountain to climb to rebuild America’s confidence that it can be competent and credible. Yet, before the targeting mess has been cleared up, bonuses are delivered to employees who failed to pay their taxes.
To send a message that such decisions are unacceptable, I cosponsored the No Bonuses for Delinquent IRS Employees Act, which prohibits any performance-based awards for IRS staff who are behind on their taxes. I also cosponsored a bill to block bonuses for federal workers who violate their agency’s conduct policies – like the IRS staff who targeted conservative groups.
When it comes to taxes, IRS should be leading by example, not rewarding bad behavior. It’s unfortunate that it takes congressional action to get this point across. I will continue to closely monitor the actions of the IRS to ensure the agency is behaving in a legal and appropriate manner, and I’ll pursue any necessary legislation to make that happen.  Integrity should be at the heart of any federal agency, especially when it comes to Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars.