Republican IRS Expansion Claims 'Wildly Inaccurate'

With April 15 approaching, conservative hysteria about an alleged hidden cost of health care reform -- a small army of new IRS agents -- is gaining traction. One problem: Those claims are "wildly inaccurate".

As FactCheck amply documents, the new health care law specifically forbids the IRS to enforce criminal penalties against taxpayers who violate the individual mandate and doesn't allow for standard IRS collection techniques like liens. Plus, the IRS won't be double-checking health insurance certifications provided with tax returns.

Individuals without health insurance in 2014 face an added tax, and that's all -- nothing that requires the "16,500 new agents" that conservatives now claim the IRS needs to recruit.

That claim appears to have originated with a report released by Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, stretching the rough estimates of Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf as far as possible and then basing the final number on a series of false assumptions.

Comments

[pene]

11:32 PM on 04/04/2010

i'm old, but i seem to remember a story we were told when we were little: a little boy cried wolf when there was no wolf. then when the wolf finally showed up, nobody believed him.

too bad it was only a fairy tale...couldn't wish for anything better to happen to the republicans/teabaggers.

[Daphydd]

10:49 AM on 04/05/2010

In November would be nice for that wolf to BITE.

[Carolyn LeBeauf]

02:51 PM on 04/04/2010

No one beleives what these baffons say but the teabaggers and the rightwing nuts.

[coop48]

12:03 PM on 04/04/2010

They are really becoming the party of non-relevance

[goodtomeetyou]

02:52 AM on 04/05/2010

Irrelephant Party.

[1differentdrummer]

07:31 AM on 04/04/2010

Shouldn't that be "Republican party 'wildly inaccurate'?

[cedy195]

11:06 PM on 04/03/2010

Jim Deminted kept on spreading this lie around too.But one thing about lying you can't tell the same one all the time,and get away with it because it will come back and bite you in the A$$.So it look's like to me there lies are catching up with them LOL LOL!!!!!!

[SkyTalker]

10:39 PM on 04/03/2010

How can almost half of the nations population be so stupid and naive? Is it really a case of southerners being so intellectually challenged they will believe any lie told on Faux news or right wing talk shows?

[jws2346]

01:50 PM on 04/03/2010

Yawwwwwn. These Repubs is a' killin' me. First it was Death Panels, then it was killin' Gramma, then it was Socialized medicine and yada, yada, yada. Now they're gonna' audit everybody, arrest them and throw em' in jail (what's next another Guantanamo only on Long Island?) To do all this arrestin' and throwin', they gots to hire some more jackboots in the IRS? Give me a break and share some of the drugs you'se is on!

[Wombat]

07:06 AM on 04/05/2010

If it's a drug the Repugs are on then they're having a bummer. I definitely don't want that drug

[tmf945]

09:44 AM on 04/03/2010

Every Conservative and Bagger I know, has bought in so deeply to the whole GOP program, that it's frightening...and still do with each passing day. Safe to say, that no matter what is put in front of them as far as dispelling any of this happyhorseshit, will be met with disdain and lack of comprehension. Unless the Progs and Dems mobilize now and pull the Independents, come November we can be looking a totally different landscape in the House and Senate. Maybe not enough to control either House, but enough to block passage of ANYTHING even remotely for the betterment of the people. We are at a virtual stalemate now and the Fox Party would love nothing better than to stop both Houses completely. Everyone here, needs to get up, get out and get the vote. Work Locally, Think Globally.

[DUSAA-1775]

10:20 AM on 04/03/2010

it's called politics. and it is to be expected. There is nothing frightening about partisans supporting the party line. Every liberal I know is still spouting off about the "fact" that ObamaCare will reduce the deficit. When they repeat this to the moderates I know, the moderates start laughing ....

[jws2346]

01:55 PM on 04/03/2010

Nope, you'se is correctto mundo "they's notthin' wrong with frollowin' a political line" as long as that line is not frayed and about 2 inches long.

[Johnniedog]

08:40 AM on 04/04/2010

DUSSA, Yes! There is something wrong with partisans supporting a party line that is based solely on Lies and Distortions. They prey upon Patriotism and Religion to Lie people into thinking Republicans are good people. I think Americans should always be told the truth, but, you think Americans should always be Lied too....sold a Bill of Goods with no goods.

[bmike]

02:04 PM on 04/03/2010

you need to check repubs record. the only thing I have seen them successful at was getting away with the money missing in banks and not getting arrested for it.like its nobody fault.there are going to try to win on dumb,dumb alone is what they think will do it.then we have to go back to bin laden is on the way and the color is red hot with cross- hairs

[DogoftheEarth]

09:32 AM on 04/03/2010

Why do people keep using euphemisms like "Flawed" and "Wildly inaccurate"?

Republicans lie.

[cef911f1]

08:33 AM on 04/03/2010

Republican IRS Expansion Claims 'Wildly Inaccurate' - HP should have left "IRS Expansion" out of the headline.

[callingemout]

11:30 PM on 04/02/2010

wildly inaccurate is as close to the truth as they have been in a long time...

[dfranz]

09:03 PM on 04/02/2010

The Republicans love making things up that they know will stir up the paranoid masses. They can deny all hey want. Their intent is to incite violence and then blame the Democrats.

[goodmorningsunshine]

06:25 PM on 04/02/2010

Republicans love to lie, it's second nature to them behind living.

[mummblemouth]

05:02 PM on 04/02/2010

'That claim appears to have originated with a report released by Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, stretching the rough estimates of Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf as far as possible and then basing the final number on a series of false assumptions.'

Ahh, yes, now I remember how republicans govern. Republicans are .d.ots, plain and simple.

[kareemachan]

05:49 PM on 04/02/2010

They definitely hire data manipulators.

[Palito]

04:19 PM on 04/02/2010

Lol I just casually tuned into Fox"News" and voil?One big fat angry pundit screaming that health reform was freedom killing, with multiple graphics and banners with anti goverment "news" scrolling in the screen.