Barney Frank: Don’t Blame the IRS for the Tax Code, Blame Republicans

HAYES Congressman it seems ░░░░░░░░ me that there s ░░░░░░░░ kind of category error ░░░░░░░░ which people rail against ░░░░░░░░ complexity of the tax ░░░░░░░░ and members in Congress ░░░░░░░░ that and then hold ░░░░░░░░ IRS responsible as if ░░░░░░░░ IRS was the one ░░░░░░░░ wrote the tax code ░░░░░░░░ in fact it is ░░░░░░░░ same people in Congress ░░░░░░░░ have written the tax ░░░░░░░░ The IRS is just ░░░░░░░░ ones enforcing it FRANK ░░░░░░░░ that s absolutely right ░░░░░░░░ let s be very ░░░░░░░░ And let s call ░░░░░░░░ Republicans bluff on this ░░░░░░░░ cited these efforts to ░░░░░░░░ the tax code and ░░░░░░░░ cited 2003 2005 Let ░░░░░░░░ be very clear In ░░░░░░░░ in 2005 the Republican ░░░░░░░░ the presidency under George ░░░░░░░░ Bush a majority in ░░░░░░░░ House and a majority ░░░░░░░░ the Senate the longest ░░░░░░░░ we have had in ░░░░░░░░ decades of one party ░░░░░░░░ in total control of ░░░░░░░░ House the Senate and ░░░░░░░░ presidency for six years ░░░░░░░░ during the Republican rule ░░░░░░░░ 2001 through 2006 and ░░░░░░░░ didn t do it ░░░░░░░░ let s drop this ░░░░░░░░ They are bluffing In ░░░░░░░░ many of the special ░░░░░░░░ in the code that ░░░░░░░░ complicated and protect special ░░░░░░░░ they put there It ░░░░░░░░ also the case by ░░░░░░░░ way that this notion ░░░░░░░░ you know let s ░░░░░░░░ the code well how ░░░░░░░░ they going to pay ░░░░░░░░ all their wars How ░░░░░░░░ they plan to pay ░░░░░░░░ that Iraq war which ░░░░░░░░ Bush pushed so hard ░░░░░░░░ the Republican Congress voted ░░░░░░░░ a lot of my ░░░░░░░░ colleagues I think mistakenly ░░░░░░░░ them Were they going ░░░░░░░░ run that on a ░░░░░░░░ sale or by donations ░░░░░░░░ s obvious nonsense And ░░░░░░░░ the way as to ░░░░░░░░ enforcement of the tax ░░░░░░░░ remember what the IRS ░░░░░░░░ trying to do They ░░░░░░░░ trying to say that ░░░░░░░░ should not be getting ░░░░░░░░ charitable deduction if your ░░░░░░░░ called charity is in ░░░░░░░░ a front for a ░░░░░░░░ contribution machine And they ░░░░░░░░ and it was all ░░░░░░░░ to be done first ░░░░░░░░ there was some suspicion ░░░░░░░░ might have been conservatives ░░░░░░░░ it s now clear ░░░░░░░░ were looking at both ░░░░░░░░ and liberals Does anyone ░░░░░░░░ argue that we do ░░░░░░░░ have these frauds that ░░░░░░░░ do not have these ░░░░░░░░ activist fronts posing as ░░░░░░░░ The charities ought to ░░░░░░░░ joining and objecting to ░░░░░░░░ And the last point ░░░░░░░░ make and you talked ░░░░░░░░ this the more you ░░░░░░░░ down the IRS the ░░░░░░░░ you restrict the IRS ░░░░░░░░ s what will happen ░░░░░░░░ you are a wage ░░░░░░░░ and you re getting ░░░░░░░░ and your taxes are ░░░░░░░░ the withholding every week ░░░░░░░░ your pay it s ░░░░░░░░ going to make much ░░░░░░░░ to you whether there ░░░░░░░░ a lot of agents ░░░░░░░░ small agency you re ░░░░░░░░ to pay that full ░░░░░░░░ because it s deducted ░░░░░░░░ if you are someone ░░░░░░░░ s manipulating various tax ░░░░░░░░ if you are someone ░░░░░░░░ s very wealthy and ░░░░░░░░ income from various sources ░░░░░░░░ are trying to engage ░░░░░░░░ these kind of offshore ░░░░░░░░ or other frauds the ░░░░░░░░ IRS agents there are ░░░░░░░░ more you ll get ░░░░░░░░ with it HAYES That ░░░░░░░░ exactly it The more ░░░░░░░░ your tax filing is ░░░░░░░░ I want to show ░░░░░░░░ picture that came today ░░░░░░░░ Josh Romney tweeting out ░░░░░░░░ Senator Reid here s ░░░░░░░░ shot of Mitt Romney ░░░░░░░░ taxes does it every ░░░░░░░░ It s how you ░░░░░░░░ your paycheck To Mitt ░░░░░░░░ taxes of course a ░░░░░░░░ of some contention Now ░░░░░░░░ Romney is a perfect ░░░░░░░░ of someone who has ░░░░░░░░ lot of money whose ░░░░░░░░ returns are anomalous He ░░░░░░░░ not like 80 percent ░░░░░░░░ wage earners right And ░░░░░░░░ point Mr Frank is ░░░░░░░░ the more complicated your ░░░░░░░░ are the wealthier you ░░░░░░░░ the more complicated your ░░░░░░░░ are the more incentive ░░░░░░░░ have to try to ░░░░░░░░ and gut the body ░░░░░░░░ acts as essentially a ░░░░░░░░ on your private wealth ░░░░░░░░ what you keep and ░░░░░░░░ you pay to the ░░░░░░░░ FRANK And that includes ░░░░░░░░ the way the people ░░░░░░░░ we know this is ░░░░░░░░ case who are sending ░░░░░░░░ money offshore who are ░░░░░░░░ it and we finally ░░░░░░░░ a good job trying ░░░░░░░░ go after the Swiss ░░░░░░░░ to various Caribbean nations ░░░░░░░░ that is earned in ░░░░░░░░ and is sent overseas ░░░░░░░░ sheltered from taxes if ░░░░░░░░ don t have IRS ░░░░░░░░ we can t find ░░░░░░░░ Sp it is for ░░░░░░░░ And the more the ░░░░░░░░ get away with the ░░░░░░░░ the burden is on ░░░░░░░░ wage earner And again ░░░░░░░░ s be very clear ░░░░░░░░ wage earner the person ░░░░░░░░ is working for whatever ░░░░░░░░ 40 50 60 000 ░░░░░░░░ year he or she ░░░░░░░░ no chance to evade ░░░░░░░░ because those taxes are ░░░░░░░░ from their paycheck HAYES ░░░░░░░░ is so much about ░░░░░░░░ tax code I think ░░░░░░░░ people hate and it ░░░░░░░░ easy to make the ░░░░░░░░ the enemy because obviously ░░░░░░░░ don t like paying ░░░░░░░░ for totally understandable reasons ░░░░░░░░ And I want to ░░░░░░░░ if they were really ░░░░░░░░ about fixing this up ░░░░░░░░ controlled Congress pretty tightly ░░░░░░░░ was in the minority ░░░░░░░░ could have done what ░░░░░░░░ wanted to do They ░░░░░░░░ to complain about it ░░░░░░░░ benefit from it at ░░░░░░░░ same time.”