I am not sure who would be interested in becoming an IRS employee – much less a bureaucratic organization being able to recruit 87,000 new personnel within this economy – but that is now on the docket. It seems like a thankless job and very similar to an umpire calling balls and strikes in an American baseball game. Would you rather play the game or stand behind the plate absorbing all the complaints from both sides? Nevertheless, the new legislation just passed by the United States Congress this week calls for the hiring of 87,000 new IRS employees.
According to quick research we did online, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pays its employees an average of $76,233 a year. Salaries at U.S. Internal Revenue Service range from $40,548 to $143,561 a year with entry level GS-07 receiving $34,149.
In truth, this is an organization that has had its challenges for quite some time.
As far back as immediately prior to the 9/11 attacks, conflicting political and economic foes were facing-off for an important and historic encounter. At stake was the future of a domestic tax collection agency and the direction of the United States tax system. The climate – then as now – was after a much-contested presidential election and far-reaching political positions by both the Right and Left used visceral to position their own agendas.
The Internal Revenue Service was under fire. Citizens had filed numerous complaints, which had largely been ignored by legislators for decades. The depth of taxpayer bitterness towards the IRS had been buried until many well-documented cases began to surface. In September of 1997, the Senate Finance Committee held three days of hearings to review IRS practices and procedures. More than 1,000 taxpayers had been contacted who claimed mistreatment.
“Our six-month long look at the IRS shows a troubled agency with widespread, serious problems. At a minimum, the cases brought to our attention, paint a picture of an unresponsive agency with some employees who do not care about the taxpayers they serve. At worst, our investigation has uncovered an agency in which a subculture of fear and intimidation has been allowed to flourish – both in the internal treatment of some employees and in the treatment of some taxpayers.”
Chairman William V. Roth Jr. (R-DE)
The complexity and ambiguity of the United States tax code compounded with how its enforcement arm treated taxpayers had created a huge cottage industry. Professionals by the score developed a vested interest in maintaining the status quo that enabled them to peddle their wares as tax reduction specialists rather than seek true reform. So, when we hear certain legislators suggest that these hirings will offer better customer service to the American people, we must ask ourselves what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, the answer is a lot.
