Senators say it's time for delinquent federal workers to pay up

[The Northerner]

Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) have teamed up to take on federal employees who don’t pay their taxes.

The senators announced on Wednesday that they have filed a bill that seeks to collect an estimated $1 billion in back taxes owed by federal employees by threatening the employees with termination if they don't pay up.

“The bill requires all federal employees to be current on their federal income taxes or be fired from their jobs. This is a common sense bill that most Americans would believe is reasonable, necessary, and likely surprised that it is not already the standard throughout the federal government,” Coburn’s office stated in a press release.

A fact sheet notes that “there are now well over 2 million federal employees, and this number is only expected to rise as the President recently proposed to increase workforce by 15,000 in 2012.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/145653-coburn-mccaskill-bill-targets-delinquent-federal-workers

[inademv]

1. And how much are they going to spend enforcing it?

Plus how much more is it going to cost the federal government to train new workers when old ones are fired?

[dmallind]

4. Doesn't worry me. EVERYONE should pay taxes appropriate to income and deductions

If the Feds simply have one more weapon to enforce this in the case of their workers I have no problem with them using it. Cheating on taxes is cheating on "the price we pay for a civilized society".

[rfranklin]

13. You are reacting exactly as the Republicans want...

This is another effort to smear government employees. When they go after all the RICH tax cheats, then we can talk about the government employees who, in all likelihood, owe tiny sums compared to the uberwealthy.

[Enrique]

2. McCaskill is going to be even more unbearable than usual

she's up for re-election in 2012. We should expect to see her on TV constantly with various demagoguery like this.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. She's facing a tough race

So we'll be seeing a lot of her.

[Tansy_Gold]

6. Expecting federal employees to pay their taxes is demagoguery?

Who knew?!

[Enrique]

10. federal employees aren't already expected to pay their taxes?

who knew? I wasn't aware that before Coburn and McCaskill came along, federal workers didn't have to pay taxes.

[arbusto_baboso]

3. Fine. Senators and Congresscritters first.

What? No longer have a stomach for it? Fine, then STFU.

[hobbit709]

Yep. Let them put their money where their mouth is.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. McCaskill becomes more disgusting each time there is news about her.

I find her eminently unlikeable.

[jtown1123]

8. Is this really a problem? How do pple not pay taxes out of their paychecks?

[arbusto_baboso]

11. Certainly not federal employees.

Any tax evasion by a federal employee would only be due to outside sources of income and/or interest and capital gains, which aren't likely to amount to much.

Corporate tax fraud, on the other hand...

[DJ13]

9. Has Tim Geithner gone into hiding?

[GeorgeGist]

12. Clarence Thomas first?

[Better Believe It]

14. Yet another cheap bi-partisan shot against working people

Now us private workers are suppose to react to this bi-partisan anti-labor propaganda by getting even more upset with those "low-life, overpaid, greedy" and now "tax cheating" public employees.

[Johonny]

18. +1

[joeybee12]

15. Fire up that base Claire, you worthless one-timer...

I'm not going to be sorry to see her go.

[Sinistrous]

16. I defy them to prove those numbers of Fed employees behind in their taxes.

As a retired Federal employee, I call bullshit on this whole scenario. It is pure propaganda.

[Johonny]

17. pretty much, clearly not a serious attempt at tax reform just an attack on Americas workers

duh people need to pay their late taxes. How about corporations? If they already owe it then the IRS must know about it and the IRS already has means to getting this money so... what is the point of this law than a cheap attack at public workers. If this really is about fixing tax cheats then why target people making so little and control such a small volume of the economy?

Once again how does attacking Americas workers create jobs or grow our economy?

[WhiteTara]

19. makes me wonder how much

Coburn owes.