[TChris]

Could have shortened the headline to "Congress Slow" and covered pretty much everything.

[Pessimist]

I'm certainly no fan of taxes in any form, but I have an issue w/ people crying about the AMT.

Their basic gripe is that they are shocked to find out they can't take as many deductions as they thought they could.

As far as I'm concerned, taxes should be uniformly lower across the board. This whole business of singling out specific groups or activities and granting them special benefits through tax deductions is systematically unfair from the get go.

[Mikey]

Enough is enough. Stop beating a dead horse (i.e., the tax code). Theres only one way and that's;

SCRAP THE CODE, ABOLISH THE I.R.S.

[Mikey]

The following is from; News Max.com

#4 IRS Engaging in Massive Crackdown -- Now Collecting Your Credit Card Records and Worse

If you thought the IRS might be neutered with the Clintons out, think again.

Already Judicial Watch's Larry Klayman has issued statement after statement criticizing the Bush Administration for not replacing Clinton-appointed IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti.

Rossotti's IRS, under direction from the Clinton White House, engaged in IRS audits of every major conservative group that criticized Bill Clinton. Judicial Watch is also under an IRS audit.

But new actions show the IRS is completely out of control.

Commissioner Rossotti is increasing IRS audits of U.S. citizens by instituting his "National Research Program."

The program kicks out any taxpayer's filing if the figure in a single line of their return is above the average for Americans. One report suggests the new system will increase audits by 25% or more.

The IRS is also becoming a global police agency.

It has demanded -- and received -- more than 1.7 million cardholder records from American Express and Mastercard.

They are combing the records of U.S. citizens who have cards affiliated with offshore banks. Recently, the IRS asked Visa to turn over their records. [Note: It is not illegal for U.S. citizens to have an offshore credit card.]

If you thought these items were bad, consider how the IRS is interpreting the US Patriot Act.

New regulations by the Treasury Dept. now demand that credit card companies, mutual fund brokers, commodity dealers and wire transfer firms like Western Union, begin filling out "suspicious activity reports" on their customers.

This KGB-style program is apparently not enough for the IRS.

NewsMax hears from Washington insiders the IRS wants to expand these informant reports of "suspicious activity" and to have them filed regularly by travel agents, hedge fund managers, auto dealers, boat dealers and jewelry and metal dealers.

We think Larry Klayman has a point.

* _ * _ * _ * _ * _ * _ * _

SCRAP THE CODE, ABOLISH THE I.R.S.

[Born Conservative]

[reelfoot]

The Republicrats are loathe to give up the revenue. Need to buy those votes, you know.