Lawmakers Aren't Paying Taxes
Are some members of Congress staging their own private tax revolt? Or is it
just another example of lawmakers feeling they're above the law?
Whatever the cause, members of Congress and their staffs have a pretty bad
record of compliance with the very tax laws they've written and passed.
According to the IRS, the nonpayment rate as of October 1999 for House
members and staff was 8.4 percent. In the Senate, 7.5% of members and staff
have not paid their taxes.
This has made the IRS more than a little angry - because, in 1998, Congress
passed legislation making non-payment of taxes grounds for immediate
dismissal of IRS workers.
Needless to say, no similar penalties apply to Congress and staff. Also
needless to say, Congress and staff still favor the *rest* of Americans
having to pay up - or face fines and prison.
(Source: Associated Press article by AP Tax Reporter Curt Anderson)
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