By Ashley Murray
Members of the Senate Committee on Finance advanced Long’s nomination along party lines, 14-13, to the full Senate as the revenue collection agency faces the possibility of a more complex tax code as congressional Republicans are poised to extend and expand President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo said Tuesday that Long presented a “vision to transform the IRS through systems modernization, a renewed focus on efficiency and a much-needed change in IRS culture” during his May confirmation hearing.
“If confirmed, I look forward to working with him to ensure the IRS focuses on helping American taxpayers to better understand and meet their tax responsibilities, and that it enforces the law with integrity and fairness to all,” the Idaho Republican said.
Sen. Ron Wyden, the committee’s top Democrat, slammed the nominee in remarks delivered ahead of the vote. Wyden said Long “has no tax policy experience, but he has lots of tax fraud experience.”
“When he left office, he threw in with a bunch of fly-by-night operators selling tax deals that were sketchy at best,” Wyden said.
Wyden highlighted contributions Long received to his dormant U.S. Senate campaign from officials at the Arkansas-based White River Energy Corps after revelations that Long was tied to the company and its sales of nonexistent tax credits.
The Oregon Democrat said Long’s “scandals here are too big to ignore.”
Long testified before the committee on May 20 and denied any wrongdoing.
Long, who served in the House from 2011 to 2023 and previously spent multiple years as a talk radio host, told lawmakers on the panel that he plans to get rid of “stinking thinking” at the IRS and implement a “comprehensive plan” to modernize the agency and “invest in retaining skilled members of the team.”
The agency has lost more than 11,000 employees, or 11% of its workforce, either through deferred resignations or mass firing of probationary workers since Trump began his second term, according to a May 2 report from the agency’s inspector general.
Trump announced Long as his pick for the IRS post in December.
4 comments:
RIP - IRS, it is time to get Rid of the IRS and Modernize our Tax Systems.
With over 75,000 pages of Tax Code we have one of the most complicated and ridiculous Tax Systems in the World.
Why do we need to pay 100,000 IRS Employees, who have Guns, (Including Hand Guns, Shot Guns, Machine Guns, AR-15's, and AK-47's and over
6-Million Stock-Piled Rounds of Ammunition), and then Hundreds of Thousands of Tax Accountants and Tax Attorneys - Just to File our Annual Income Taxes - Which is so Complicated they give you up to 3.5 Months to Complete and even another 4-5 Month Extension to Complete Your Annual Taxes - This is Just Stupid - When you can setup a Tax System that would take only 5-Minutes, can be used by any Second Grader and be Fair to every Tax Payer, No Matter Income, plus No Special Deductions or Loop Holes. A completely Fair Playing Field for every Taxpayer.
We could either go to a Flat Percentage Tax or a Consumption Percentage Tax - where everyone has just 1-Tax Percentage - Either of These:
Gross Income * .18% = Taxes to Pay In - or
Total Purchases/Services *.18% = Taxes to Pay In.
Everyone is Equal - NO SPECIAL ALLOWANCES, DEDUCTIONS, OR LOOP- HOLES.
Makes to much sense The Government will never allow it to happen
Can't happen, it would be a huge tax increase on the rich.
They buy and keep their politicians to prevent this!
The guy who said 'politics is show business for ugly people' was looking at Billy
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