Problems for the IRS

Few will shed tears because budget cuts have hamstrung the IRS, as reported in William J. Eaton’s article (Part A, Jan. 9). The Leona Helmsleys of the country, the tax cheats, are elated. Their risk of being caught and prosecuted has been reduced even further. The “little people,” the ones who pay taxes, will see little benefit from a weakened IRS. Their employers will still report their income and withhold taxes. They still will find it difficult to cheat; to reduce reportable income or convert personal expenditures into business costs, as some of the “big people” do. Meanwhile, less revenue will be collected and the national debt will continue to grow.

The “tax gap” reported by Eaton is not all that should concern taxpayers. The “pay and benefit gap” between the private and public sector employees is nearing 30%. This means that it has become increasingly more difficult for the IRS and all other federal agencies to attract and retain qualified employees. The current hiring freeze prohibits the replacement of employees who retire or leave for any reason.

The low pay, combined with federal employee bashing that has been a popular pastime by the Reagan Administration and certain members of Capitol Hill, has had the effect of driving a great many talented individuals from government service. We shouldn’t be surprised if the resulting increased workload results in a less than satisfactory work product. We get what we pay for.

Crippling regulatory agencies, or “getting government off our backs,” helps some much more than others. Who benefited from the HUD or the savings and loan scandals? Not the “little people”!

WILLIAM V. EVANS

Executive Vice President

Chapter 15, National

Treasury Employees Union

Los Angeles