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Taxes and the IRS

“Anger at the IRS for the complexity of the tax system is misplaced,” says Senior Fellow Bill Gale in this podcast. “The IRS does not legislate the tax code; Congress does. And if the tax code is complicated, that is Congress’s fault.” Gale, co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, explains one reason why the complicated tax code might be a good thing. Gale also addresses a variety of issues, including: what tax reform means; whether reform is good for economic growth; what are meant by a flat tax and consumption tax; and political rhetoric about abolishing the IRS.

You can argue about whether you want lower taxes or higher taxes, but I don’t think there should be an argument about whether we want an effective enforcement agency. It’s just a good government thing. – Bill Gale


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