Pity the IRS

I wish I were being facetious, but “Pity the IRS” seems to be exactly what Brianna Ehley is asking you to do in her piece today for the Fiscal Times. Read:

The White House is gearing up for what’s likely to be the most headache-inducing tax season yet as the struggling Internal Revenue Service begins enforcing the more than 40 new Affordable Care Act tax provisions. Many are crucial to the success of the health care law.

The IRS is responsible for enforcing the individual mandate, which requires everyone to have health coverage or pay a penalty. It’s also in charge of the premium tax credit, which is given to people who get federal subsidies under the health care law. These, along with the employer mandate, will be a trial run for the IRS. Will it be prepared to play such a huge role in the implementation of Obamacare?

The agency’s new responsibilities come just as Congress slashed its budget by $346 million this year. The IRS’s budget—which is no stranger to cuts—is now at about $10.9 billion–$1 billion less than it was five years ago.

Even the headline — “Underfunded IRS Begins Crucial ObamaCare Test” — seems written to garner our sympathies.

I’d love to see a GOP contender get out in front of this issue with a promise along the lines of, “I know the IRS is hurting now, but just wait until I’m President.”

That’s pain you can believe in.