And now that Rubin has convinced Congress that the president should continue to hire the IRS commissioner, an outside oversight board might work. But no one really knows. They stem, in fact, from a review of the IRS conducted by Senate Democrat Bob Kerrey and House Republican Rob Portman, which focused on making the IRS more effective, not more kindly. But members could not control the urge to pander. One trick added to the Kerrey-Portman package places the burden of proof in civil tax disputes on the IRS, not the taxpayer.
Experts also predict a drop in tax revenues and a new group of emboldened tax cheats.
So the fix is a fake. When watching this pitiful display, understand that the anti-IRS proposals are a diversionary device. If members are busy saving the taxpayers, then maybe the taxpayers won't remember Congress created the tangled code. Real tax reform seems now unavoidable. But it's harder work than IRS-bashing.