None Dare Call It Reason

            A multi-million dollar bill for ‘team building’ and making meetings warm and fuzzy is rightfully classified as a little too ‘last century’ by the acting head of the IRS.  But here’s something else to think about:  most of the loudest complainers hold ownership or employment in organizations that do exactly the same thing, paid for by tax payers!  You see, every large corporate training department spends similar sums on this century’s version of feel-good team building activity.  Then they reduce their net taxable income by the cost of those events, because they are deemed legitimate business expenses.  Hence they pay no taxes on those gross income dollars they wasted.

            Well, what is it? A legitimate expense or not?  If it is OK for corporations to pay less in taxes (for the government to spend taxpayers’ money on deductions), if that is OK, then why the big scat storm when the government does it elsewhere?  This whole event is further proof that there are those in business, media, and government who believe they should be able to have it both ways. 

           Consistency may be the hobgoblin of small minds, and surely mine is as small as any.  Still, around here we think consistent application of principles (reason) will help produce the revenue this country needs.  The IRS shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than reason dictates.  But it should be held to a higher standard than it is.  Now, let’s go kick some IRS ass!