Biden's America

[Archy1221]

21 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

But, you didn’t like it that Biden funded the IRS to help do that. 

1) the IRS is funded

 

2) read up on where the VAST majority of the increased IRS audits would go towards

 

3). If funding/number of IRS agents is the issue, let’s hire 500,000 more agents instead of just 80,000.  The more the better right

 

4). Or we could take a common sense approach and fix the tax law and loopholes associated with the current tax law. 

[BigRedBuster]

37 minutes ago, Archy1221 said:

1 hour ago, BigRedBuster said:

 

1) the IRS is funded

 

It is not funded the way it needs to be and it hasn’t been for a very long time. 

[Archy1221]

26 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

It is not funded the way it needs to be and it hasn’t been for a very long time. 

What way/level does it need funded?  Where should the increased funding go? Manpower? Software? Hardware? General expenses? Building infrastructure? 

[BigRedBuster]

19 hours ago, Archy1221 said:

What way/level does it need funded?  Where should the increased funding go? Manpower? Software? Hardware? General expenses? Building infrastructure? 

All the above.  They are vastly understaffed and they need a major upgrade in technology.

[Guy Chamberlin]

On 12/9/2023 at 4:53 PM, Scarlet said:

Surely you can post the data then from the time when half the $94.5 billion in missing merchandise was due to shoplifting to the time everything was locked up causing that number to drop to 5%....right?

 

I wrote an article about shoplifting for an airline magazine about 25 years ago. Shoplifting was a huge threat to retailers back then as well. One of the problems is that shoplifting falls under the larger umbrella of "shrinkage" which simply means any inventory that's missing and unaccounted for, so its hard to measure the various culprits. The estimate back then was that retailers lose as much to employee theft as they do shoplifting.  

 

One thing that has changed is the brazenness of professional shoplifting crews, who unlike the thrill seekers, kleptomaniacs, and legitimately poor target high ticket items in broad daylight. Who's gonna stop them? The minimum wage Walgreens kid? 

 

You could never commit law enforcement to low grade shoplifting at every retailer in town, but they have had recent success nabbing the shoplifting rings, at which point it's not a simple misdemeanor. 

 

Certain pocketable items at the drugstores and Best Buys have always been locked up. More recently they've added razor blades and expensive cosmetics. And laxatives which I learned about when I had to get one for a colonoscopy. The employee who unlocked the case said they had to do it because teenage girls were abusing them for quick weight loss, and were just embarrassed enough to shoplift them. 

[teachercd]

14 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said:

 

I wrote an article about shoplifting for an airline magazine about 25 years ago. Shoplifting was a huge threat to retailers back then as well. One of the problems is that shoplifting falls under the larger umbrella of "shrinkage" which simply means any inventory that's missing and unaccounted for, so its hard to measure the various culprits. The estimate back then was that retailers lose as much to employee theft as they do shoplifting.  

 

One thing that has changed is the brazenness of professional shoplifting crews, who unlike the thrill seekers, kleptomaniacs, and legitimately poor target high ticket items in broad daylight. Who's gonna stop them? The minimum wage Walgreens kid? 

 

You could never commit law enforcement to low grade shoplifting at every retailer in town, but they have had recent success nabbing the shoplifting rings, at which point it's not a simple misdemeanor. 

 

Certain pocketable items at the drugstores and Best Buys have always been locked up. More recently they've added razor blades and expensive cosmetics. And laxatives which I learned about when I had to get one for a colonoscopy. The employee who unlocked the case said they had to do it because teenage girls were abusing them for quick weight loss, and were just embarrassed enough to shoplift them. 

This is so true.  

 

Also, how do you end up writing for an airline magazine?  

 

Me when I realized the only thing left to read on the plane was the airline magazine and/or the shaper image catalog.

 

 

[BigRedBuster]

3 hours ago, teachercd said:

This is so true.  

 

Also, how do you end up writing for an airline magazine?  

 

Me when I realized the only thing left to read on the plane was the airline magazine and/or the shaper image catalog.

 

 

Give me a break...you're watching the stewardess walk up and down the aisle.  

[teachercd]

37 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

Give me a break...you're watching the stewardess walk up and down the aisle.  

I believe the correct term is sky waitress. 

[Danny Bateman]

On 12/12/2023 at 11:54 AM, teachercd said:

I believe the correct term is sky waitress. 

Aisle donkey

[teachercd]

Just now, Danny Bateman said:

Aisle donkey

Hahaha!

 

One of my sisters (this was years ago) went through the process to be one...she was all set to take the job but they wanted her to start out of Houston, I think, so she declined.  We made so many jokes!  Pretending to "push the call button" while eating dinner at home and asking her to get us something to drink.

[Dr. Strangelove]

On 12/11/2023 at 8:10 AM, BigRedBuster said:

All the above.  They are vastly understaffed and they need a major upgrade in technology.

Before recent funding increases thanks to the IRA, if you called the IRS to ask questions about your tax situation wait times were often 8 hours or more. I had a colleague that had to call each morning for multiple days to reach a person to help him. 

 

On 12/10/2023 at 12:12 PM, Archy1221 said:

What way/level does it need funded?  Where should the increased funding go? Manpower? Software? Hardware? General expenses? Building infrastructure? 

I think funding direct filing - instead of through private companies - is a good thing long term for the vast majority of filers. That doesn't mean they're won't be hiccups at first, but 15 years from now this will be a good thing. 

 

Funding levels should reach the point where the return on that spending plateaus or diminishes. In addition, spending should reach the point where the customer service arm of the IRS reaches a point where tax payers can get their tax questions answered in a reasonable amount of time. 

[ZRod]

14 minutes ago, Dr. Strangelove said:

Before recent funding increases thanks to the IRA, if you called the IRS to ask questions about your tax situation wait times were often 8 hours or more. I had a colleague that had to call each morning for multiple days to reach a person to help him. 

 

I think funding direct filing - instead of through private companies - is a good thing long term for the vast majority of filers. That doesn't mean they're won't be hiccups at first, but 15 years from now this will be a good thing. 

 

Funding levels should reach the point where the return on that spending plateaus or diminishes. In addition, spending should reach the point where the customer service arm of the IRS reaches a point where tax payers can get their tax questions answered in a reasonable amount of time. 

Calling the IRS and trying to find the right combination of number to hit to get in line to actually speak to a human is an act of sheer will. Once you talk with them they're usually amazing though.

[Archy1221]

29 minutes ago, Dr. Strangelove said:

Funding levels should reach the point where the return on that spending plateaus or diminishes.

If this is the plan, a much better way of doing things would be to have a tax system that doesn’t require so many employees to provide customer service for questions, etc…or for audits.   Reduce the confusion/loopholes which would reduce the need for all the headcount and a much simpler way of collecting taxes.  
 

Instead we have a tax code that three different auditors could interpret three different ways.  
 

I also think that the IRS should reimburse costs for any audit that results in the IRS being wrong and the taxpayer being correct but having to spend resources on clearing the filing from audit.  
 

Way too many horror stories with filers and the IRS. 

[Dr. Strangelove]

1 hour ago, Archy1221 said:

If this is the plan, a much better way of doing things would be to have a tax system that doesn’t require so many employees to provide customer service for questions, etc…or for audits.   Reduce the confusion/loopholes which would reduce the need for all the headcount and a much simpler way of collecting taxes.  
 

Instead we have a tax code that three different auditors could interpret three different ways.  
 

I also think that the IRS should reimburse costs for any audit that results in the IRS being wrong and the taxpayer being correct but having to spend resources on clearing the filing from audit.  
 

Way too many horror stories with filers and the IRS. 

I couldn't agree more with the idea of reimbursement. 

 

I also agree with closing certain complicated tax loopholes. But keep in mind that the #1 demographic who works with the IRS for tax problems are retirees. Next are small business owners.

 

Most of the individuals trying to call and work with the IRS aren't people who fell victim to a complicated tax code, it's people who didn't realize their traditional 401(k) hasn't been taxed yet. 

[teachercd]

Gas prices are super low!

 

Stocks are ON FIRE

 

LOVING IT!!!!