This April 13, 2014 photo shows The Internal Revenue Service Headquarters (IRS) building Washington. The Internal Revenue Service already has received nearly 100 million tax returns, but anticipates getting about 35 million more by the midnight Tuesday deadline. Many other taxpayers, however, are opting for plan B and asking for more time to file. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
The federal watchdog tasked with keeping tabs on the Internal Revenue Service says the agency needs to do a better job of administering tax credits for low-income people. The reason? Billions of dollars each year are ending up in the wrong hands.
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A new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, reveals that nearly a quarter of the $63 billion worth of Earned Income Tax Credits distributed in 2012 were improper payments.
That’s about $14.5 billion in erroneous payments that were either given to the wrong people or distributed to the right people in the wrong amount.
TIGTA has routinely flagged the EITC as a high-risk area with lax oversight that threatens to put billions of tax dollars in the wrong hands. The report estimates that over the last decade, the IRS has doled out between $124 billion and $148 billion in improper payments.
That amount is likely to rise since up to 5 million additional people might qualify and apply for the EITC thanks to President Obama’s executive order on immigration. The EITC includes qualified resident aliens who pay taxes.
Under the Improper Payments Elimination Recovery Act of 2010, programs are considered to have “significant improper payments” when those payments exceed 2.5 percent of program outlays and $10 million of all program payments made during that year. The EITC consistently exceeds that standard (by a long shot) every year.
TIGTA has also identified the Additional Child Tax Credit, which is supposed to help low-income families reduce their tax burden, as a high risk item. Last year, the IRS doled out between $5.9 to $7.1 billion improper payments from the program—about 25 to 30 percent.
The auditors blamed the problem on the IRS’s strategy (or lack thereof) and said that the existing process will “will not reduce the billions of dollars” in improper payments given out each year.
According to the auditors, the IRS needs to make significant changes to its compliance process in order to see any significant reduction in improper payments for both the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit.
TIGTA specifically recommended that the IRS’s authority should be expanded so it can make corrections to tax returns if it receives information after the fact that a taxpayers’ refundable credit claims are not valid. The auditor estimated that that rule alone could help prevent more than $1.7 billion in improper payments.
The IRS agreed with most of TIGTA’s recommendations, though the agency noted that budget cuts and staff reductions in the past few years have hampered their compliance efforts.
President Obama greets Elizabeth Narvaez-Vega, left, with Arturo Prieto-Valdez, both students at Glencliff High School in Nashville, after the president spoke about his recent executive actions on immigration at Casa Azafran in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 9, 2014.(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)
President Obama misspoke when he said that immigrants living illegally in the U.S. would have to "pay any back taxes" in order to qualify for work papers under the plan he initiated via executive action. They would not.
We wouldn't normally be inclined to weigh in with a fact-check when someone erroneously slips an inaccurate word into an impromptu response to a live question. But this is the third time we've heard this mistake from a prominent Democrat.
In the prepared part of his speech at an immigration town hall in Nashville, Tennessee, on Dec. 9, Obama correctly noted that in order to register, qualified immigrants would — going forward — have to "pay taxes, contribute more fully to our economy." But he added the "back taxes" line when answering a question from the audience.
Obama, Dec. 9: What we're also saying, though, is that for those who have American children or children who are legal permanent residents, that you can actually register and submit yourself to a criminal background check, pay any back taxes and commit to paying future taxes, and if you do that, you'll actually get a piece of paper that gives you an assurance that you can work and live here without fear of deportation. That doesn't apply to everybody, but it does apply to roughly 5 million — about half of what is estimated to be the number of undocumented workers here.
Two days earlier, Julian Castro, Obama's secretary of Housing and Urban Development, misspoke on this same point in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
Castro, Dec. 7: The president, by taking that executive action, is very clearly trying to address a broken immigration system, and take a strong first step to fix it, focusing on felons, not families, ensuring that we do everything we can to secure the border, and also give folks who have been here oftentimes for many years the opportunity to pay back taxes, to stay here with their family, to get right by the law as he has said.
And Sen.-elect Gary Peters of Michigan, currently a congressman, issued a press release the day after the president's immigration announcement making the same error.
Peters, Nov. 21: We need leadership on this critical issue, and in light of Congress' lack of action on immigration reform, this will not only help keep families together, but bring workers out of the shadows, conduct background checks, require payment of back taxes and ensure taxes are paid going forward while Congress works on a long-term, bipartisan and comprehensive solution.
The immigration plan announced by Obama on Nov. 20 provides a temporary relief of three years from the threat of deportation to parents who are in the country illegally but who have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. The parents must have lived in the United States for at least five years, and they must register, and pass background checks in order to obtain the reprieve. The White House estimates that 5 million people are eligible for "provisional unlawful presence waivers." If they meet certain requirements, those immigrants also would be given work authorization for three years.
For immigrants who step forward, the procedure is to make sure that they "start paying their fair share of taxes" so they can "temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation for three years at a time," says a White House fact sheet. The key word in there is "start." There is no mechanism to require immigrants in the country illegally to pay any back taxes in order to obtain a three-year work authorization.
An Obama administration official told us the president misspoke when he said that immigrants would have to "pay any back taxes."
The confusion likely stems from a requirement in the 2013 Senate-passed immigration bill, which included a path to citizenship. In order to take the first step — provisional status — immigrants in the country illegally would have had to have, among other things, "satisfied any applicable Federal tax liability." (See page 146 ofthe bill.) In other words, they would have had to pay back taxes.
Obama has repeatedly included that back taxes requirement when talking about legislation he'd like to see come out of Congress, as he did again in the immigration town hall.
It's understandable that the president and others might inadvertently say that the executive action includes a provision on back taxes as they toggle back and forth between describing the particulars of the executive action, and still advocating for a congressional solution like the Senate bill. But for anyone who is directly affected by the president's action and is considering stepping forward to register, it should be clear that currently, the executive action includes no such requirement.
Speaker of the House John Boehner may soon find himself short on friends after he betrayed each and every American with his crusade to pass the Cromnibus resolution that funds both Obamacare and the unconstitutional amnesty program created via executive fiat.
However, while each and every American ought to feel betrayed, one Republican congressman says he feels particularly betrayed and asserts that Speaker Boehner lied to him to get his vote on bringing the Cromnibus to the House floor.
Representative Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) says that Boehner made a deal with him to secure his last-minute vote on an important procedural vote to bring the resolution to the floor for a vote. On Thursday, the procedural vote passed with a razor-thin margin of 214-212 and Stutzman says that he was originally in favor of blocking the resolution from coming to the floor, but that Boehner assured him that once brought to the floor, the Cromnibus would be replaced by a short-term continuing resolution that would be backed by conservatives as it fell dramatically short of the $1.1 trillion pricetag of the Cromnibus.
“I was very surprised and even more disappointed to see the cromnibus back on the floor,” Stutzman said in a statement. “The American people deserve better.”
“I supported the rule because I was informed by leadership that the cromnibus was dead and a short term CR would take its place,” Stutzman said.
“The cromnibus bill, over 1,600 pages long, does many things but what is most important is what it does not do,” he said. “It fails to directly address President Obama’s dangerous executive action on immigration and fails to include many of the solutions that could have been passed in January with a Republican House and Senate in an open process.”
With maneuvers like this, it is not hard to see why the GOP is engaged in a civil war. The Tea Party and various other conservative factions represent the true heart of the Republican Party- limited government and sound fiscal principles. Moderates, however, only appear interested in centrist politics and continually bend to the will of the Democrats.
In this manner, it is evident that regardless of supposed ideological bent, moderate leaders produce the exact same results as the radicalized Democrat Party.
Andrew Klavan, our politically correct host, takes a look at the disturbing history of the Reverend Al Sharpton – called Reverend because he is revered, by Al Sharpton.
Andrew begins by telling us how Al Sharpton has dedicated his life to the improvement of the black man Al Sharpton…
12/13/2014 The new guidelines present Indian tribes with potential business opportunity.
The United States Department of Justice announced Thursday that Indian tribes across the country can now grow and sell marijuana on their sovereign lands as long as the adhere to the same federal guidelines in place in the four states where the drug has been legalized for recreational use.
Specifically, tribes may not sell marijuana to minors, nor will they be allowed to transport the drug to parts of the country where it is illegal. That said, the DOJ's move effectively legalizes marijuana in portions of states where the drug remains otherwise outlawed.
"The tribes have the sovereign right to set the code on their reservations," said Timothy Purdon, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota and the chairman of the Attorney General's Subcommittee on Native American Issues, the Los Angeles Timesreported.
What's more, tribes that opt to sell marijuana grown on reservations will not be subject to state and local taxes, the Associated Press reported, giving them a potentially lucrative business opportunity. In states like Colorado, steep taxes on marijuana sales go to help fund the public school system, inflating the cost for consumers.
"If tribes can balance all the potential social issues, it could be a really huge opportunity," Seattle attorney Anthony Broadman, whose firm represents several Western tribes, told the AP.
So far, only a few tribes have approached the Justice Department about getting into the marijuana trade, the AP reported.
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota officials have canceled a public safety campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of jerking the steering wheel on icy roads, saying it's too risque.
The Department of Public Safety has pulled the "Don't Jerk and Drive" ads, which played on the double-meaning of the word "jerk." Highway Safety Director Lee Axdahl told the Argus Leader (http://argusne.ws/1zYqlyN ) earlier this week that the double meaning was intentional, to grab people's attention.
He says the message is that the department would prefer drivers keep their cars out of the ditch and their mind out of the gutter.
But his boss, Public Safety Director Trevor Jones, says he's pulling the social media and television ads. He says he doesn't want innuendo to distract from the goal of saving lives on the road.
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/12/12/4665754_south-dakota-pulls-driving-campaign.html?sp=/99/134/253/617/&rh=1#storylink=cpy
Tomorrow at 3 p.m., Army and Navy will meet for their 115th football game.
I’m an Army veteran, personally, but I’m going to struggle not to root for Navy when they’re wearing these new uniforms.
This year’s patriotic theme: uniforms offering a take on the 1775 Gadsden flag:
Sometimes better known as “Don’t Tread on Me.”
The original Gadsden flag was designed by Gen. Christopher Gadsden for the American colonists struggling for independence from England.
But the Continental Navy had their own red and white striped version, as well.
Lately, however, the flag has come to be associated by some with libertarian and tea party movements dedicated to limited government, according to Western Journalism.
In fact, Navy SEALs were reportedly ordered last year not to wear the rattlesnake emblem while in uniform because of its association with right-wing “radicals.”
People like the readers of Conservative Tribune, I suppose they meant — you radical, you.
Anyway, the rattlesnake will appear in full effect for tomorrow’s game, adorning helmets, gloves, and even the game balls.
First, I don’t expect many of them to watch football — too competitive and violent for liberal tastes — and certainly not a game between two military service academies.
And second, they don’t own any arms to be up in.
But at any rate, if you were thinking of treading on a Navy football player, I would have advised against trying it even before now.
But these new uniforms make it official.
Please share this article on Facebook and Twitter if you agree that these new patriotic Navy uniforms are awesome.
According to and article at newsninja2012.com published in June of 2014 :
Did You Know That Sex with a Goat is Allowed Under Islam?
It’s true! Just don’t tell anyone because some Muslims get really cranky when this type of information is broadcast around.
According to Dr. Zakir Naik – a noted Quranic scholar – there are several things the world needs to know about Islam. First, I’m amazed that anyone within the confines of Islam would be so bold as to say some of the things. Second, I’m even more amazed that after hearing them, most of the world continues on as if these things are normal.
There is something peculiarly odd about the fact that Islam – being such an antiquated and barbaric ideology – can exist in the 21st century alongside the modern world and not be condemned by everyone. Instead, leader after leader of many nations simply accepts what is known about Islam as a type of normal…for Muslims. Do you wonder why that wholesale acceptance exists? $$$
When we talk of the barbarism, acts of violence, the lack of compassion, and even the ill treatment of women, gays, and those outside of Islam, the world literally yawns. They simply point to Christianity as an example of barbarous practices from the past that Islam does today. That can only mean then that if Christians did what Muslims do today, are we to assume that it would be acceptable practice now? Hardly. Fuggetaboutit.
Why does the world – when being shown Islam for what it is – immediately try to turn the attention back on Christians, as if past mistakes are still happening in today’s world? The truth is that no one excuses the past sins of Christians (and they shouldn’t), but by pointing to Christian excesses and violence, though they condemn that, they do no such thing to Islam! They don’t even realize their own duplicity.
Islam has some of the most repressive and backwards beliefs of any ideology. This is not to say that all Muslims believe as one because there are groups and factions within Islam to be sure. However, there is a very large group of Muslims within Islam who take the Qur’an literally and because of that, believe that imitating Muhammad is key. We are not talking about a “few” individuals here. We are talking about millions. The two main sects of Islam are the Sunni and the Shi’ite, each totaling in the millions.
There are imams (religious leaders) for both groups who interpret the Qur’an according to their own set of Islamic beliefs. Not all imams agree. However, because lying (or deception) is useful to Muslims and encouraged by leadership, it is almost impossible to know who is telling us the truth about themselves and what they believe.
Dr. Zakir Naik has spoken on many aspects of Islam and is known for his authoritative viewpoint on all things Islam. He has said some of the most outrageous things going, yet the world hardly notices him. He recently said that the movie Gravity should be condemned because it showed the earth as spherical, not flat.
Not long ago, he also stated that a man can have sex with a sheep or goat as a way of dealing with his “lust.” Essentially, this allows the male Muslim to have sex with an animal (beastiality) if a woman is not available. There are a few conditions though.
the sheep or goat must be killed afterwards because it is now tainted, and
the meat cannot be eaten by the people in that particular village though it can be sold to a neighboring village
I’m wondering why the animal is tainted after a Muslim man has sex with it? If this is acceptable practice under Islam, then why must the animal be killed? It simply doesn’t make sense. Then again, telling Muslim men that’s it okay to have sex with an animal doesn’t make sense either, but that’s just me.
In Islam, it is fine and expected to practice the brutal arts of execution by stoning when a person is caught in adultery. A person is buried in the ground waste high with her hands buried at her sides. A circle is made around the victim from which the rock throwers may not pass. They must remain outside that circle. Rocks are then thrown at the half-buried person until she is dead.
If you are gay in an Islamic country and you are discovered, prepare to be executed, either by hanging or stoning. However, if you’re just having sex with a sheep or goat, no worries. But do remember to kill the freakin’ goat, all right? Thanks!
Why is Islam given a pass on these and other things? It’s almost as if it is being protected.
