two headlines of interest: 60,000 Firms Owe $8B In Taxes; Federal Contractors Delinquent, GAO Says

[niyad]

and, "wesley snipes given three years for tax evasion" (and these are misdemeanors) is he a peace activist or something that this judge felt such an urgent need to "set an example"??

oh, I forgot the other one from last week, where the irs is only auditing poorer taxpayers, not the rich, not the corporations.

are we surprised by any of this? and what, if anything, can we do about it?

[ColbertWatcher]

1. LINK!

USA Today

One problem: Tax delinquents' names are kept from government procurement officers and the public because of privacy rules. The GAO, in two reports last year, found examples but was not permitted to identify the companies:

•The Defense Department paid more than $1 million to a company that owed nearly $10 million.

•A Justice Department security-guard contractor owed $400,000 in taxes and didn't file tax returns.

Congress is trying to crack down on contractors who legally avoid taxes by classifying workers as employees of shell companies located outside the USA. The House passed a bill April 15 outlawing the practice. The House also passed a bill to bar firms from contracts if they owe taxes. The bills are now before the Senate.

[ColbertWatcher]

2. what, if anything, can we do about it?

No more GOP in Congress!

[ColbertWatcher]

3. K + R n/t