Send in the auditors

Three items in Wednesday’s (Feb. 4) paper caught my attention: Three Cabinet appointees made large errors (cheated?) on their income taxes, paying far less than they rightfully owed; Wall Street executives received large (obscene?) bonuses for putting their companies billions of dollars in the hole so people who actually pay their taxes can bail them out; and, according to associate editor Gary Crooks, an estimated $330 billion (that’s with a B) in taxes were unpaid last year. In the case of uncollected taxes, of course, there’s an easy explanation: Why prosecute a few large tax cheats when you can get many more by auditing those getting an earned tax credit?

Of course, I have a solution. First, anyone from a bailed-out company who got a bonus should be audited. No free rides or unpaid payroll taxes for household help, etc. Pay up! Second, do the same thing for all representatives and senators, as well as anyone who lobbies Congress. Pay up! Finally, put auditing efforts where there’s the most payout instead of the most audits. I know we’ll never get all the taxes owed, but that should be the goal. It’s just so damned maddening to see what’s going on.

Glenn Sentman

Newman Lake