White House Slashes Number of IRS Lawyers Auditing the Super Rich
In economic news, the New York Times has revealed that the federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans. The cuts are specifically focused on estate tax lawyers -- those who audit the taxes of the wealthy when they transfer their fortunes to their children and others. One veteran I.R.S. estate tax lawyer called the job cuts a back-door way for the White House to repeal the estate tax – even though the Bush administration doesn’t have the support of Congress.
In other news from Capitol Hill, the Senate is expected to vote today on a bill that would make it illegal for anyone to accompany a young woman across state lines for an abortion without notifying her parents. The bill is called the Child Custody Protection Act. Under the bill a grandparent, clergy member or relative could face criminal charges for helping a young woman get an abortion.
And in Ireland, five Catholic peace activists have been acquitted for damaging a U.S. fighter plane on its way to Iraq. The activists, known as the Pit Stop Ploughshares, entered into Shannon Airport three years ago and used household hammers to damage a U.S. Navy logistics plane. The activists faced up to 10 years in prison. Shannon airport has been the center of anti-war protests in Ireland. On average over a thousand U.S. troops pass through the airport each day.
Senate to Vote on Controversial Abortion Bill
5 Ploughshares Anti-War Activists Acquitted in Ireland