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Washington » Rep. Jason Chaffetz has a message to government employees who owe tax money: Pay up or lose your job.
The Utah Republican introduced legislation Wednesday that would allow federal agencies, Congress and the White House to fire workers who are frequent tax scofflaws.
The government, Chaffetz says, is paying 276,300 people who are behind on $3 billion in tax payments, including 678 on Congress' payroll and 50 who work in the executive office of the president. Chaffetz's targets are those people classified by the Internal Revenue Service as owing a "seriously delinquent tax debt."
"Federal employees have an obvious obligation to pay their federal income taxes," Chaffetz said. "Because they draw their compensation from the American taxpayers, federal employees owe it to the taxpayers themselves to pay their taxes. If not, they should be fired."
The IRS already has the authority to terminate contracts for workers who aren't current on their tax payements, and Chaffetz argues that other government entities need the same power to jettison employees who don't pay their government due.
Chaffetz plans to tie his measure to President Barack Obama's call to bar funding for federal contractors who are behind on their taxes. The bill is headed for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Thursday and Chaffetz says he will also offer an amendment to insert his language into the president's proposal.
In January, Obama pushed Congress to crack down on "deadbeat companies" with federal contracts, saying that across the country Americans meet their obligations and those receiving government money should do the same.
"It is simply wrong for companies to take taxpayer dollars and not be taxpayers themselves," Obama said.
Courtesy Salt Lake Tribune |
