Posted on 10/20/2017 6:34:58 AM PDT by Red Badger
The IRS says it will not accept electronic tax returns that do not disclose whether the filer had health insurance coverage during the year.
It also says it will suspend paper returns that do not have the disclosure.
The IRS' move, which will bolster compliance with Affordable Care Act rules, comes as the Trump administration takes other steps to undercut the law.
The IRS is warning tax professionals that it will block or suspend processing of 2017 income tax returns that do not comply with Obamacare rules requiring filers to disclose their health insurance status.
The new move to tighten Americans' compliance with the Affordable Care Act comes even as the Trump administration takes steps to undercut it.
"Taxpayers remain obligated to follow the law and pay what they may owe at the point of filing," the IRS said in a description of the new policy.
The ACA requires most people to have some form of health insurance coverage or pay a tax penalty — a requirement known as Obamacare's individual mandate.
That penalty is the higher of 2.5 percent of adjusted gross household income or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child under age 18.
The agency, in an online notification to tax professionals, said that in the upcoming tax filing season "the IRS will not accept electronically filed tax returns where the taxpayer does not address the health coverage requirements of the Affordable Care Act."
"Returns filed on paper that do not address the health coverage requirements may be suspended pending the receipt of additional information and any refunds may be delayed," the IRS said.
Income tax returns contain a box that asks filers if they had health coverage during the year.
If they indicate they did not have coverage, filers must indicate on what grounds they are exempt from the mandate or say they will pay and then calculate the penalty for not complying.
The IRS said it will not accept electronically filed returns until a tax return addresses those points.
There are several possible exemptions from the mandate, including lacking access to affordable health coverage, being homeless, getting evicted, experiencing domestic violence, experiencing the death of a family member and filing for bankruptcy.
That was my first thought. It is Trump's IRS now. He's the boss. He either causes or allows it to happen.
Of course, if the GOPe RINOs would do their job and stick a stake in the heart of Obama Care and do tax reform, we wouldn't have this unconstitutional crap going on....
Bonuses are paid to IRS managers for enforcing the penalties. Remove the bonuses. There should not be bonuses paid on amounts collected to IRS managers. It incentivizes abuse of taxpayers.
And that’s why I’ve always hoped the IRS would deduct the penalty from any tax refund that may be due, or issue a bill for unpaid tax liability (since that’s what the Scotus says the Obamacare mandate is). There is no faster way to trigger an anti-Obamacare revolt.
This doesn’t go that far, but it still works to Trump’s benefit.
First the judges then the IRS. The coup is progressing.
The IRS is a leftist front organization. This is how they “resist” our duly elected president.
The Deep State strikes back. Proves that the IRS and the CIA are the two most powerful government entities in America. Followed by the FBI. Notice, NOT the President or Congress, or even the activist judiciary.
According to the law as passed by Congress and upheld by the USSC (thanks to John Roberts...) the IRS *is* the Obamacare police.
They're doing exactly what the law requires them to do and unless Obamacare is REPEALED by Congress and signed by President Trump this is going to continue.
That's just the fact.
Finally! Someone who speaks my language!! (See my tagline, it's been there for almost 12 years now ..)
It is not wrong to lie to avoid being forced to commit an unconstitutional act.
Talk about editorial slant! So requiring compliance with a law is considered undercutting? Wouldn't that mean the law is undercutting itself? Was not the theory that the only to make health insurance "affordable" was to coerce the young, healthy citizens to kick in their premiums to pay for the costs of everyone else? I would think administratively waiving the signature penalty provisions would be the undercutting move.
Logically speaking, Øbama undercut the law by allowing taxpayers to avoid the penalty and the tax return perjury trap by refusing to answer the insurance question. That undercuts the vaunted (and cooked) CBO scoring that allowed the RATS to pass this atrocity.
Kudos to Trump that the best way to help kill ACA is to actually fully implement it as written.
Thanks again to JUSTICE ROBERTS! *SPIT*
eggszactly
Bush Appointee...............
The IRS wants the healthcare Shared Responsibility Payment system to continue because they can charge penalties and interest on late payments. It is a huge money-making issue for them.
I just filed 2016 and paid five months of the penalty for going uninsured. The penalty was a lot less than the insurance.
You have no idea how true that statement is. Or, at least, others don't know how true it is.
The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.
Abraham Lincoln
They touch on that here:
http://www.iwf.org/blog/2805014/IRS-to-Hold-Tax-Returns-Hostage-to-Enforce-Obamacare
How about a contrary perspective. The ACA was a law passed by congress and signed by Obama. If we are a nation of laws, they must be followed. I believe it was Obama that told the IRS not to enforce the penalty (or tax, or whatever you want to call it) for political reasons. Now under Trump, the administration is just upholding thew law.
I think if the people of this country voted the democrats in that got this law passed, and they don't like the ramifications of having to pay the penalty, "F" them until they vote the democrats out.
That said, some of the democrats were voted out, and the republicans said they would repeal and replace Obamacare. Well, they haven't done it. So now its up to the obstructionist republicans to be primaried.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.