Tax Compliance Starts At Home, Not With Millionaires

Kevin Glass | April 18, 2012 10:14 AM

Tax day has just passed and tax policy will likely fall by the wayside until later in the year when Congress will have to grapple with the coming Taxmageddon - a lapse of government policy that will cost Americans $500 billion.

The Obama Administration preaches a lot about tax fairness. It's time for them to look in the mirror.

The IRS reported earlier this year that a few dozen of Obama's top staff owe over $800,000 in back taxes. In a group of remarkably well-paid individuals - top White House staffers usually make six figures - how hard could it be for the Obama Administration to urge their own staffers to square up with the IRS?

They could also take a harder look at federal workers. In 2010, current and former government employees owed over $3.4 billion in unpaid taxes - including $270 million by U.S. Postal Service workers alone.

Sen. Scott Brown is pushing legislation that would be a first step to remedying the massive amounts of back taxes owed by federal employees.

Brown said members and employees of the U.S. Senate alone owed over $2 million.
The bill would require members and employees of Congress and federal employees who file financial disclosures forms to report any delinquent tax liability to the appropriate ethics office and come up with a plan to pay off the taxes.

Unlike President Obama, who's targeting private individuals complying with the tax code with his Buffette Rule, Sen. Brown recognizes that compliance with the tax code starts at home.