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Classic hit piece from propublica, trotting out the classic villains. If only the poor IRS was allowed to go after those neer do wells! I've known wealthy peo

Classic hit piece from propublica, trotting out the classic villains. If only the poor IRS was allowed to go after those neer do wells! I've known wealthy people, but not plutocrats, who the IRS has gone after. Auditing (harassing) them year after year. Referring them to be investigated by DEA, BATF, etc. It's totally insane how unaccountable the IRS is. Of course someone in the gun sites of the IRS is going to avail themselves of the best legal and accounting talent they can get. If you have lots of money, you are in their sites.

copper_think 8y ago
Maybe one day you'll be rich too, and can work tirelessly to avoid paying your fair share to the government. But I kind of doubt it, because you don't know the difference between "sites" and "sights."
- jngreenlee 8y ago
  Ad hominem much?
- tomohawk 8y ago
  Uncle. You got me on the sights thing. Fair share as determined by who? The IRS? Some politician who wants more money to spend?
  - dontbenebby 8y ago
    >Fair share as determined by who? The IRS? Some politician who wants more money to spend? Determined by the laws of the United States, which you have disproportionate influence on by being affluent. You live in a republic. You benefit from roads, from our military, and your local police. If you don't like your tax burden, you could move to a state with a lower one (Nevada, Washington etc). Or you could choose to emigrate. At the end of a day, you live in a republic, and need to obey it's laws. ("Render unto Caesar")
    - tomohawk 8y ago
      > It can take years for IRS investigators just to understand a transaction and deem it to be a violation. Given that they're talking about the IRS equivalent of "Seal Team 6", and it's taking them years to look at a single transaction, my question still stands. Just because the IRS thinks there is a violation after several years of looking at a transaction does not mean that there was in fact a violation. The fact that it's taking them so long to figure things out might be the clue that it is possible for there to be a difference of opinion on the matter. The IRS is not judge, jury, and executioner, although for most of us they may as well be. This article sounds more like sour grapes that the IRS can't get away with what they normally do when attacking truly wealthy people.
- vixen99 8y ago
  Fair share begs the question. If I work like a dog night and day for a limited period (and thereby forego some of the pleasures my less motivated colleagues enjoy) in order to obtain freedom for activities which do not provide an income later in life, how would you compute my 'fair share' assuming I'm successful in my enterprise?
  - logfromblammo 8y ago
    Let x equal your income for a calendar year, divided by the median income for your locale during the previous year. If x < 1, your fair share is 0. If x < 50, your fair share is your income times ln(x)/ln(2500). Otherwise, your fair share is your income times (1 - ln(50)/(2 * ln(x))). The success of your enterprise is highly dependent on the cooperation of many people who will never be directly rewarded by you for their role. You won't even know their names. Sometimes people forget that their success is only possible if a civilization exists, and it upholds societies that are functional for everyone in them.
- kittiepryde 8y ago
  What is 'fair'? Is it the rules, is it a flat number, something else?
- sctb 8y ago
  Personal attacks like this have no business on Hacker News and will get your account banned, no matter what you're replying to. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

copper_think 8y ago

Maybe one day you'll be rich too, and can work tirelessly to avoid paying your fair share to the government. But I kind of doubt it, because you don't know the difference between "sites" and "sights."

jngreenlee 8y ago
Ad hominem much?
tomohawk 8y ago
Uncle. You got me on the sights thing. Fair share as determined by who? The IRS? Some politician who wants more money to spend?
- dontbenebby 8y ago
  >Fair share as determined by who? The IRS? Some politician who wants more money to spend? Determined by the laws of the United States, which you have disproportionate influence on by being affluent. You live in a republic. You benefit from roads, from our military, and your local police. If you don't like your tax burden, you could move to a state with a lower one (Nevada, Washington etc). Or you could choose to emigrate. At the end of a day, you live in a republic, and need to obey it's laws. ("Render unto Caesar")
  - tomohawk 8y ago
    > It can take years for IRS investigators just to understand a transaction and deem it to be a violation. Given that they're talking about the IRS equivalent of "Seal Team 6", and it's taking them years to look at a single transaction, my question still stands. Just because the IRS thinks there is a violation after several years of looking at a transaction does not mean that there was in fact a violation. The fact that it's taking them so long to figure things out might be the clue that it is possible for there to be a difference of opinion on the matter. The IRS is not judge, jury, and executioner, although for most of us they may as well be. This article sounds more like sour grapes that the IRS can't get away with what they normally do when attacking truly wealthy people.
vixen99 8y ago
Fair share begs the question. If I work like a dog night and day for a limited period (and thereby forego some of the pleasures my less motivated colleagues enjoy) in order to obtain freedom for activities which do not provide an income later in life, how would you compute my 'fair share' assuming I'm successful in my enterprise?
- logfromblammo 8y ago
  Let x equal your income for a calendar year, divided by the median income for your locale during the previous year. If x < 1, your fair share is 0. If x < 50, your fair share is your income times ln(x)/ln(2500). Otherwise, your fair share is your income times (1 - ln(50)/(2 * ln(x))). The success of your enterprise is highly dependent on the cooperation of many people who will never be directly rewarded by you for their role. You won't even know their names. Sometimes people forget that their success is only possible if a civilization exists, and it upholds societies that are functional for everyone in them.
kittiepryde 8y ago
What is 'fair'? Is it the rules, is it a flat number, something else?
sctb 8y ago
Personal attacks like this have no business on Hacker News and will get your account banned, no matter what you're replying to. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html