Because "Cracking down on rich tax cheats is law enforcement," writes the NYT.
Donald Trump's long-concealed, just-reported tax information for the last 20 years is "The Picture of a Broken Tax System," writes the New York Times Editorial Board: "Donald Trump's tax returns illustrate the profound inequities of the tax code and the shambolic state of federal enforcement."
Excerpt:
Legend has it that the bank robber Willie Sutton said that he robbed banks because that's where the money is. The I.R.S. has been reduced to going where the money isn't. As ProPublica has reported, the government now audits lower-income households that claim the earned-income tax credit at roughly the same frequency as high-income households. It's easier for the depleted agency to pick on people who can't afford to hire expensive tax attorneys.
The result? On current trends, the federal government will fail to collect $7.5 trillion in taxes over the next decade — about 15 percent of the total amount owed.
Cracking down on rich tax cheats is law enforcement. It is a basic function of government to ensure that people are playing by the rules. Tax cheating is not a victimless crime. Every dollar hidden from the government is that much less money to spend on education, roads and research. The rich are benefiting at the expense of everyone else.
Read the rest: The Picture of a Broken Tax System
