Time to fully fund IRS

In late October President Biden requested Congress to appropriate $105 billion. This would be used to bolster Israel and Ukraine, which are in the mist of fighting wars for national survival, for domestic defense manufacturing, humanitarian assistance and managing the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has countered with a proposal to only give Israel $14.6 billion and not fund any of the other items requested by the President. Mr. Johnson's proposal would then cut a similar amount form the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He indicates that this would keep the national debt from increasing.

However, this doesn't appear to be a good idea since taking this money from the IRS would mean that the resulting lack of resources would prevent it from collecting about $26 billion in taxes. Instead of saving money, Mr. Johnson's proposal would cost the country several billion dollars.

For the past several years Congress has not given the IRS the funding it needs to update its computer equipment and hire needed personnel. Without these resources the IRS cannot collect what people owe in taxes. For example, in tax years 2020 and 2021 the projected gross difference between what was owed and paid was $601 and $688 billion respectively. The Department of the Treasury indicates these differences are due to people violating the law and under reporting their incomes.

It is time to give the IRS the resources needed to fully enforce the law.

JOHN PIEPHO, Cape Girardeau