FederalDaily - August 25, 2006
Panel Suggests IRS Drop Private Collection Plan
A federal advisory group is calling on the IRS to drop its plan to use private-sector debt collectors to pursue tax debts in exchange for a bounty on collected amounts. Larry L. Combs, chair of The Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), on Aug. 18 sent a letter to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson that included among its attached suggestions a recommendation that the IRS “abandon all plans to outsource any taxpayer debts and restrict collection activities to properly trained and proficient IRS personnel.” TAP, which was established in 2002 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act as a way for citizens to provide input toward IRS decision making, called tax debt collection “a core function” of the IRS. To see the letter, go to: www.nteuirswatch.org/documents/Everson%2008%2018%202006%20Letter.doc
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Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask’ Would Bridge Gap
In the wake of an executive order authorizing a recall of Marine Corps Reservists, one group is asking President Bush to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy affecting gay and lesbian servicemembers. Repealing the policy would help bridge the manpower gap, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) said on Aug. 23. Bush recently authorized the recall of 2,500 troops to active duty to cover the need for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. SLN said more than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under the “don’t ask” policy since it was implemented. SLDN cited a recent report from the Government Accountability Office which showed that more than 800 of dismissed servicemembers had skills deemed “critical” by the Department of Defense. To see more, go to: www.sldn.org/templates/press/record.html?section=2&record=3165
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Group Says Dispute Stymies Ban on Floodplain Construction
A resource professionals group says a “feud” between two federal agencies has hindered enforcement of rules barring new construction on Florida floodplains, putting at risk anything located in the low-lying areas. The Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) bolstered its argument with quotes from communications originating at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. PEER on Aug. 23 said “the FEMA complaint was most broadly expressed” in a 2001 letter in which a FEMA official said the corps appears to make no effort to determine whether proposed projects are located in a floodplain, and assumes that floodplains do not exist if they have not been mapped by FEMA. On the other side, PEER cited a 2005 email in which a Corps of Engineers official complained of a lack of cooperation from FEMA in creating the maps, saying that one-third of Florida doesn’t have up-to-date—or any—flood maps. To see more, go to: www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=733
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