Time to properly fund, staff IRS

Our federal taxes pay for a number of different necessities. Among these items are the federal law enforcement agencies and the armed forces which provide our nation's defense. The country's general welfare is dependent upon a number of items such as a workable system for interstate commerce and usable public roads. In addition, during the most recent six years for which records are available, Cape Girardeau County received over $85 million in farm subsidies.

However, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a number of serious problems. It needs about 10,000 additional workers. The rules governing the reporting of income need to be updated. And key components of the IRS Individual Master File (IMF), which is chiefly responsible for receiving individual taxpayer data and dispensing refunds, are as much as 60 years old. Instead of addressing these issues, Congress has been reducing the amount budgeted for the IRS.

As a result of these listed problems, the Treasury Department estimates that the difference between what people pay and what people owe now hovers around $600 billion per year. In addition, the IRS is severely backlogged in processing the current tax year's returns and refunds.

Our country's government will not be able to address even its basic responsibilities unless the tax code is up to date and the IRS has the necessary tools and personnel to do its job. We owe it to ourselves and our country to make certain this agency is properly staffed and funded.

JOHN PIEPHO, Cape Girardeau