After it was revealed to the public that the IRS was wasting money on Star Trek-themed training videos, pricey exercise equipment and targeting law-abiding Americans, the agency’s boss, John Koskinen, was on the Hill yesterday begging Congress for money to fix the agency
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Here’s your obligatory eye roll from Lucille Bluth:
Writes Fox News, “Koskinen testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, that budget cuts have stripped the agency from being able to effectively help taxpayers. He said the lack of funding has led to longer waits for taxpayers turning to IRS help centers.”
“Customer service, both on the phone and in person, has been far worse than anyone would want,” he said. “It’s a simple matter of not having enough people to answer the phones and provide service at our walk in sites, as a result of the cuts to our budget.”
How much money was wasted in labor targeting the tea party?
Koskinen said the agency was “dismayed” by the lines forming outside the agency’s help centers and reports of wait times on the phone of 30 minutes +.
Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) sent a letter on Tuesday asking for details on some of the agency’s more ridiculous spending.
$4.3 million on “market research,” $8,000 on a stair climber and $4 million on office furniture for managers.
Thousands of dollars were also spent on “decorative and give-away items” such as bathtub toy boats, Thomas the Tank Engine rubber wristbands and kazoos.
It seems obvious that the IRS isn’t capable of being responsible stewards of the taxpayers’ money … so they should get nothing more.
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