From: in2dadark on 7 Apr 2010 12:10 IRS Could Tap Refunds For Health Insurance Penalties * IRS cannot use levies, seizures, criminal sanctions * IRS chief: Republican estimate for new hires "made up" By Kim Dixon WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service could tap individual tax returns to collect fines against people who fail to buy health insurance as required under recently enacted healthcare legislation, the U.S. tax commissioner said on Monday. Most individuals are required to get health insurance under the new law, or face penalties that would be phased in over time. By 2016, people without coverage could see fines of 2 percent of their income. Subsidies would help poorer people buy coverage, and states would set up exchanges to allow individuals and small groups shop for insurance. People who do not comply would be levied penalties, and if they don't pay them the penalties could be taken out of their tax refunds. "There has been some insinuation about how we are going to approach our job," IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said after speaking at the National Press Club. Under the new law, the IRS cannot seize assets or levy fines, so Shulman said refunds were the most obvious option to collect penalties. The new law aims to expand coverage to about 32 million uninsured Americans. Last month, President Barack Obama signed the legislation, which passed both houses of Congress with backing only from his fellow Democrats. Republicans have been attacking the bill ever since, calling it an overreach of government power. Representative Dave Camp, a senior Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued a report shortly after its passage arguing that law "dangerously expands IRS authority." "The individual mandate would create millions of captive customers for health insurance companies, with the IRS acting as the enforcement agency for those companies," Camp's report asserted. NEW AGENTS? Shulman also dismissed claims by Republicans that the government would need to hire 16,500 agents to enforce the new rules. "That is a made up number. The only official numbers come from the IRS, which I have to sign off on. We don't have a number yet," Shulman said. A staffer for Republicans, which circulated the 16,500 estimate, defended it on Monday. The staffer said the number was based on an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office that $10 billion would be needed to implement the law over a decade, subtracting $1 billion for administration costs. "If it's not 16,500, how many thousands of people will the IRS have to hire to enforce their portion of the bill?," the aide, who was not authorized to be quoted by name, said. "How is the IRS going to spend billions of dollars in taxpayer money to enforce its portion of the bill?" Shulman, appointed by former President George W. Bush and retained by Obama, said the U.S. health department and insurance companies would determine if individuals have purchased acceptable levels of coverage. "There are not going to be IRS agents having discussions with the American people about the intimate details of their health insurance," Shulman said. None of the provisions related to individual taxpayers come into force this year, with most phased in in 2013 and 2014, he said. © Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
From: FatterDumber& Happier Moe on 7 Apr 2010 14:28 in2dadark wrote: > IRS Could Tap Refunds For Health Insurance Penalties > > * IRS cannot use levies, seizures, criminal sanctions > * IRS chief: Republican estimate for new hires "made up" > > By Kim Dixon > > WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service could tap > individual tax returns to collect fines against people who fail to buy > health insurance as required under recently enacted healthcare > legislation, the U.S. tax commissioner said on Monday. > > Most individuals are required to get health insurance under the new > law, or face penalties that would be phased in over time. By 2016, > people without coverage could see fines of 2 percent of their income. > > Subsidies would help poorer people buy coverage, and states would set > up exchanges to allow individuals and small groups shop for insurance. > > People who do not comply would be levied penalties, and if they don't > pay them the penalties could be taken out of their tax refunds. > > "There has been some insinuation about how we are going to approach > our job," IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said after speaking at the > National Press Club. > > Under the new law, the IRS cannot seize assets or levy fines, so > Shulman said refunds were the most obvious option to collect > penalties. > > The new law aims to expand coverage to about 32 million uninsured > Americans. > > Last month, President Barack Obama signed the legislation, which > passed both houses of Congress with backing only from his fellow > Democrats. Republicans have been attacking the bill ever since, > calling it an overreach of government power. > > Representative Dave Camp, a senior Republican on the tax-writing Ways > and Means committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued a > report shortly after its passage arguing that law "dangerously expands > IRS authority." > > "The individual mandate would create millions of captive customers for > health insurance companies, with the IRS acting as the enforcement > agency for those companies," Camp's report asserted. > > NEW AGENTS? > > Shulman also dismissed claims by Republicans that the government would > need to hire 16,500 agents to enforce the new rules. > > "That is a made up number. The only official numbers come from the > IRS, which I have to sign off on. We don't have a number yet," Shulman > said. > > A staffer for Republicans, which circulated the 16,500 estimate, > defended it on Monday. > > The staffer said the number was based on an estimate by the > Congressional Budget Office that $10 billion would be needed to > implement the law over a decade, subtracting $1 billion for > administration costs. > > "If it's not 16,500, how many thousands of people will the IRS have to > hire to enforce their portion of the bill?," the aide, who was not > authorized to be quoted by name, said. "How is the IRS going to spend > billions of dollars in taxpayer money to enforce its portion of the > bill?" > > Shulman, appointed by former President George W. Bush and retained by > Obama, said the U.S. health department and insurance companies would > determine if individuals have purchased acceptable levels of coverage. > > "There are not going to be IRS agents having discussions with the > American people about the intimate details of their health insurance," > Shulman said. > > None of the provisions related to individual taxpayers come into force > this year, with most phased in in 2013 and 2014, he said. > > � Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved > The IRS doesn't put you in jail, it puts the money in your accounts and future money you might get in jail and they don't need a judge to do it. A stroke of the pen and your money is tied up until you settle with them. You don't want to even think about getting on the wrong side of the IRS. You might get to keep your dentures if there isn't any gold in them.
From: JoeSpareBedroom on 7 Apr 2010 14:37 "FatterDumber& Happier Moe" <"WheresMyCheck"@UncleSamLoves.Mee> wrote in message news:4bbccee9$0$12430$bbae4d71(a)news.suddenlink.net... > in2dadark wrote: >> IRS Could Tap Refunds For Health Insurance Penalties >> >> * IRS cannot use levies, seizures, criminal sanctions >> * IRS chief: Republican estimate for new hires "made up" >> >> By Kim Dixon >> >> WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service could tap >> individual tax returns to collect fines against people who fail to buy >> health insurance as required under recently enacted healthcare >> legislation, the U.S. tax commissioner said on Monday. >> >> Most individuals are required to get health insurance under the new >> law, or face penalties that would be phased in over time. By 2016, >> people without coverage could see fines of 2 percent of their income. >> >> Subsidies would help poorer people buy coverage, and states would set >> up exchanges to allow individuals and small groups shop for insurance. >> >> People who do not comply would be levied penalties, and if they don't >> pay them the penalties could be taken out of their tax refunds. >> >> "There has been some insinuation about how we are going to approach >> our job," IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said after speaking at the >> National Press Club. >> >> Under the new law, the IRS cannot seize assets or levy fines, so >> Shulman said refunds were the most obvious option to collect >> penalties. >> >> The new law aims to expand coverage to about 32 million uninsured >> Americans. >> >> Last month, President Barack Obama signed the legislation, which >> passed both houses of Congress with backing only from his fellow >> Democrats. Republicans have been attacking the bill ever since, >> calling it an overreach of government power. >> >> Representative Dave Camp, a senior Republican on the tax-writing Ways >> and Means committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, issued a >> report shortly after its passage arguing that law "dangerously expands >> IRS authority." >> >> "The individual mandate would create millions of captive customers for >> health insurance companies, with the IRS acting as the enforcement >> agency for those companies," Camp's report asserted. >> >> NEW AGENTS? >> >> Shulman also dismissed claims by Republicans that the government would >> need to hire 16,500 agents to enforce the new rules. >> >> "That is a made up number. The only official numbers come from the >> IRS, which I have to sign off on. We don't have a number yet," Shulman >> said. >> >> A staffer for Republicans, which circulated the 16,500 estimate, >> defended it on Monday. >> >> The staffer said the number was based on an estimate by the >> Congressional Budget Office that $10 billion would be needed to >> implement the law over a decade, subtracting $1 billion for >> administration costs. >> >> "If it's not 16,500, how many thousands of people will the IRS have to >> hire to enforce their portion of the bill?," the aide, who was not >> authorized to be quoted by name, said. "How is the IRS going to spend >> billions of dollars in taxpayer money to enforce its portion of the >> bill?" >> >> Shulman, appointed by former President George W. Bush and retained by >> Obama, said the U.S. health department and insurance companies would >> determine if individuals have purchased acceptable levels of coverage. >> >> "There are not going to be IRS agents having discussions with the >> American people about the intimate details of their health insurance," >> Shulman said. >> >> None of the provisions related to individual taxpayers come into force >> this year, with most phased in in 2013 and 2014, he said. >> >> � Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved >> > > The IRS doesn't put you in jail, it puts the money in your accounts and > future money you might get in jail and they don't need a judge to do it. > A stroke of the pen and your money is tied up until you settle with them. > You don't want to even think about getting on the wrong side of the IRS. > You might get to keep your dentures if there isn't any gold in them. Sometimes the "wrong side" turns out to be fun. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703535104574646582965101664.html?mod=WSJ_Taxes_Taxes_2
From: FatterDumber& Happier Moe on 7 Apr 2010 15:03 Conscience wrote: > On 2010-04-07 11:28:55 -0700, FatterDumber& Happier Moe > <"WheresMyCheck"@UncleSamLoves.Mee> said: > >> The IRS doesn't put you in jail, it puts the money in your accounts >> and future money you might get in jail and they don't need a judge to >> do it. A stroke of the pen and your money is tied up until you settle >> with them. You don't want to even think about getting on the wrong >> side of the IRS. >> You might get to keep your dentures if there isn't any gold in them. > > Didn't you vote for Obama? > I voted for Ron Paul, wrote it on the ballet and write in's aren't allowed in my state. So I threw away my vote. I didn't consider Obama or McCain as anyone I'd like to see as the prez. Ron Paul? Who cares? He won't ever get anywhere anyway, I wouldn't pick him as my doctor either. Now someone like Madoff, that what we need. He could cook the books and have the country back on the road to prosperity in no time.
From: Jeff Strickland on 7 Apr 2010 16:19
"FatterDumber& Happier Moe" <"WheresMyCheck"@UncleSamLoves.Mee> wrote in message news:4bbcd702$0$12419$bbae4d71(a)news.suddenlink.net... > Conscience wrote: >> On 2010-04-07 11:28:55 -0700, FatterDumber& Happier Moe >> <"WheresMyCheck"@UncleSamLoves.Mee> said: >> >>> The IRS doesn't put you in jail, it puts the money in your accounts >>> and future money you might get in jail and they don't need a judge to do >>> it. A stroke of the pen and your money is tied up until you settle with >>> them. You don't want to even think about getting on the wrong side of >>> the IRS. >>> You might get to keep your dentures if there isn't any gold in them. >> >> Didn't you vote for Obama? >> > I voted for Ron Paul, wrote it on the ballet and write in's aren't allowed > in my state. So I threw away my vote. I didn't consider Obama or McCain > as anyone I'd like to see as the prez. Ron Paul? Who cares? He won't > ever get anywhere anyway, I wouldn't pick him as my doctor either. Now > someone like Madoff, that what we need. He could cook the books and have > the country back on the road to prosperity in no time. If you would vote for Madoff and wait while he cooked the books, why not vote for Forbes and wait for the books to get straightened out without cooking them? Having siad that, Obama is cooking the books with the fire on High. |