Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) said on this week’s “Fox News Sunday” broadcast that people who pay their taxes should not worry about the Democrats’ bill that ramps up enforcement at the IRS.
Partial transcript as follows:
HOST MIKE EMANUEL: The bill also includes $80 billion to ramp up enforcement at the IRS. Here is Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): American families don’t want tens of thousands more IRS agents. What they like are more border patrol and ICE agents.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EMANUEL: I know you’re working hard at improving this very unpopular agency, but, Senator, rich people have accountants and high-powered attorneys.
Do you worry that ramped up enforcement will only end up hurting middle and working-class Americans?
CARDIN: You’re right. I have worked with Republicans and Democrats to try to modernize the IRS.
Most Americans pay their taxes. Most Americans have their taxes taken out from their payroll and there’s never a question of their paying their fair share of taxes.
But for those that have complicated incomes, those who have high incomes, they’re the ones that are escaping. It’s been estimated that we have a $1 trillion leakage in tax collections every year. I think most Americans want a level playing field. They want to pay their taxes but they want everyone else paying their taxes. So I think this is a fair situation. The IRS desperately needs help and this bill gives them the help they need.
EMANUEL: Let me follow up there. Can you understand how 87,000 new IRS agents would scare the heck out of millions of Americans?
CARDIN: Well, millions of Americans aren’t going to be impacted by that other than getting better service from the IRS, having their telephone answered, getting the questions they need in order to comply with our tax laws. The auditing is going to be focused on those with high income, the large corporations, etc. So, there’s no reason to be fearful. And if you paid your taxes and if you comply with our laws, you should want to make sure everyone else does that.
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