News
Grassley concerned about increased IRS liens
Washington, D.C. — Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, with Senate jurisdiction over tax policy, today made the following comment on the national taxpayer advocate’s annual report to Congress.
“The point of IRS restructuring and the creation of the taxpayer advocate’s office itself, which I advocated as a member of the restructuring commission, was to restore taxpayers’ rights after the IRS had engaged in heavy-handed enforcement tactics. I worry that the IRS is reverting to some old habits to taxpayers’ detriment. The placement of liens is up. I intend to look at this more closely, including how the taxpayer advocate arrived at her statistics. I know from my own work that the IRS continued to place liens on small businesses for a certain practice, even though the IRS and Congress agreed the penalties were too harsh, and the IRS agreed to stop collecting them until Congress revised the law. There was a disconnect between what Treasury and IRS staff in Washington, D.C., thought was happening and what was actually happening in the field. There also seems to be more interest at the highest levels of Treasury and the IRS in helping big banks than working with small business owners and average taxpayers. The placement of liens on the little guys shouldn’t be automatic and computer-generated while the big banks get the benefit of agency discretion and concern in the executive offices. One, it’s unfair, and two, it’s bad for the economy. Small businesses create 70 percent of all net new jobs. Individual taxpayers want to pay off debts, including tax debts. A payment plan might be more effective than a lien. The IRS has to use its discretion to determine when liens are the best course to improve tax collection and when they’re just a knee-jerk enforcement tactic that will do more harm than good.”
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Cop car involved in accident
A Knoxville Police car was involved in a collision Sunday night.
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IWD Announces a Deadline Extension for Emergency Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Director Elisabeth Buck announced today that Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) will begin immediate work to reactivate approximately 16,000 Iowans who may now be eligible for additional weeks of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) benefits now that Congress has passed a deadline extension.
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Brooks Garden is dedicated
A ribbon cutting was held Saturday morning for Knoxville's pocket park, Brooks Garden.
- President's remarks on unemployment extension
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Community Foundation awards gifts
The Marion County Community Foundation disbursed checks as part of its 2010 campaign this morning.
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You decide: CNBC report on Iowa job climate
The Journal-Express received a report from the Democrat majority, touting a recent report by CNBC which placed Iowa sixth in the nation for doing business. However, Sen. Paul McKinley believes the very Democrats celebrating this have worked to undermine Iowa's advantages over other states.
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Save the Children calls Iowa unprepared
Almost five years after Hurricane Katrina, a new report reveals that Iowa meets zero out of four minimum criteria for protecting children in disasters.
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Farmland Leasing meeting in Pella
Iowa State University Extension in Marion County is hosting a farmland leasing meeting on Tuesday morning, Aug. 3, beginning at 9 a,m.
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Breaking news: Pavement blowup to affect Rock Island traffic
There has been a pavement blowup on Rock Island Street on the east side of the intersection with Brobst Street.
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Baseball team going to state!
After a 7-2 victory over Mt. Pleasant last night, the Knoxville HIgh School boys' baseball team punched its ticket to the state tournament once again.
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Cop car involved in accident
