Once again, the New York Times has exposed one of the Bush administrations secret programs. This time, however, the purpose is more insidious than the tapping of phones or following financial records. According to Sharyn Phillips, a veteran IRS estate tax lawyer, this is "a back-door way for the Bush administration to achieve what it cannot get from Congress, which is a repeal of the estate tax."

Yes, the Bush admistration is cutting estate tax examiners from the IRS, according to documents provided to the NY Times by IRS staffers opposed to the cuts. These cuts will eliminate nearly half of the lawyers inside the IRS who audit returns of some of the wealthiest Americans when transfers of parts of their fortunes to children and others are involved.

Kevin Brown, an IRS deputy commisioner, confirmed the cuts. He also stated that these are some of the most productive workers in the IRS that are being cut, citing numbers that for each hour worked they find an average of $2,200 in taxes owed.

Six years ago the IRS stated that 85% of large taxable gifts audited were short-changing the government; and, in the past five years IRS and the Treasury have told Congress that cheating is a major and growing problem among the highest-income Americans who are using more complicated schemes to hide and understate wealth.

Brown stated the staff cuts were ordered because fewer people will be obliged to pay estate taxes under the Bush proposed legislation.

And the rich just get richer.......

OMG the humanity...does this newspaper ever stop. How in the world can they do this and get away with it?

The danger in the printing of this article is that the IRS might keep these auditors instead of laying them off.

I personally know of one person who after inheriting a small sum of money was forced to pay an additional $30,000 dollars in taxes on the money. Due to this they now have only $15,970,000 dollars vs the $16,000,000 they would have had previously.

They were telling me that due to this they now have to cut the pay of their gardner who was simply trying to work hard and send money to his wife and children in Mexico.

Once again the NY Times has placed in danger the very people they claim to want to protect, now because of them there are children who must go without food.

Someone ought to make an Executive Order repealing the first amendment to stop those bastards, this yellow journalism clearly endangers the morale of all our troops overseas who are fighting to impoverish their families and neighbors.

You three have more drama queen rhetoric than ten Bill O'reillys.

You three have more drama queen rhetoric than ten Bill O'reillys.

http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/2/2c/Oreillyorly.jpg

I must admit, in truth I'm just fucking with all you Bush people while you vociferously protect the good of people far richer than you at your own expense. I long since threw in my lot with them and will be just fine, if not on the same scale. If current policy continues, I'll be paying laughably trivial taxes within ten years and be nicely isolated from the vagarities of the dollar when our trade deficits and national debt finally knock this fairy tale economy over.

Will you?

Well.. At least the American flags they wrap themselves in will be cheaper when mass produced in China.

You three have more drama queen rhetoric than ten Bill O'reillys.

HAHAHA!!!

Well.. At least the American flags they wrap themselves in will be cheaper when mass produced in China.

Till the Unions get in over there. Then there will be a need to outsource the slave labor somewhere where a "decent wage" is paid in coconuts.

China is already outsourcing to Vietnam and Korea.