$10.9 billion not enough says IRS Commissioner John Koskinen

IRS Budget

According to Internal Revenue Service Commissioners John Koskinen, $10.9 billion is not enough to enforce the U.S. tax code adding that to cut costs, taxpayers can forget about calling the IRS for help filing their tax returns.

That’s because the IRS will be shutting down phone lines to free up IRS employees for tax processing and enforcement duties – especially when it comes to complying with the ObamaCare mandate.

Koskinen said a “cut” of $346 million in the IRS budget request for 2015 is to blame.

Hard hit by this news will be seniors and the handicapped who rely on IRS help lines to for the answers needed to complete their returns. The IRS says only half of the 100 million people expected to call this year will be able to reach a live person and, even then, call waits could exceed 30 minutes or more for even simple questions.

That’s not all.

The lack of funding might mean the IRS will delay income tax refunds for millions of Americans – many of whom will be looking for their refunds to pay family bills.

Many may recall Koskinen from his testimony about the IRS targeting of conservative groups seeking charitable determination letters before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).

Koskinen’s testimony over the retention of e-mail records between IRS officials – records that might have shed light on the targeting scandal – was unresponsive, combative and ultimately contradicted by attorneys for Lois Lerner, the former IRS official believed to be behind the targeting scandal.

“It couldn’t be worse timing,” Koskinen said of the budget cuts.

Writing for Breitbart.com, John Hayward said the timing couldn’t be better when it comes to complying with the ObamaCare mandate.

Hayward writes:

“This is excellent timing to remind Americans of what a disaster Barack Obama dropped in their laps, how utterly callous and incompetent his administration has become, and what a sick tyrannical joke the American tax system has become.

It’s also a good idea to remind them (taxpayers) that for all the velvet-glove rhetoric surrounded by Obamacare, it’s more of a mailed fist – it’s about control and punishment, not improving the efficiency or fiscal situation of the healthcare system.”

Hayward added that if Koskinen is going to point to a modest budget cut to throw up his hands and say, “I give up! Taxpayers, you’re on your own,” he has already submitted his resignation.