Both of Iowa’s Republican senators say they’ll oppose the package of tax changes and spending on climate and energy projects the U.S. Senate will be voting on this weekend. The three Iowa Republicans in the House are also criticizing the bill.
Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, said Democrats should “pump the brakes” and start over.
“This plan would pay for 87,000 new IRS agents to turn around and audit working families and small businesses,” Hinson said during a conference call with Iowa reporters.
The IRS commissioner says the agency will target tax avoidance by corporations and wea;thy Americans, but will not increase audits of returns with income below 400-thousand dollars. The agency also plans to upgrade its 35-year-old computer system. Hinson said quicker processing of tax returns should be the priority.
“One thing I’ve heard from a lot of constituents in a lot of the work that we specifically do is in making sure that people get their tax returns handled in a (prompt) fashion,” Hinson said. “What we don’t want to see is them specifically targeting.”
Hinson cited a report from a congressional committee that reviews tax-related legislation. The Joint Committee on Taxation concluded that going after “misreported” business activities could primarily impact low income Americans.
“My constituents could not have been stronger about speaking out against super charging the IRS for the wrong reasons,” Hinson said.
Hinson objects to rules that already went into effect in January that require mobile payment apps like Venmo and PayPal to report business transactions of more than $600 to the IRS.