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Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by hansjorg on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @01:14PM (#16377869)
> This is how it ends up with huge armies of bureaucrats doing things that could be easily automated.

Less bureaucracy and lower costs sounds like something anyone would agree on, but remember that a large part of congress has run on anti-tax promises. Hampering the efficiency of the IRS is one way of making good on that.

Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by imglorp on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @01:31PM (#16378036)
There's also the tax prep lobby, which is opposed to more automation, streamlining of code, and making tax prep irrelevant in general. Half the IRS could go away if most americans could do a simple 1040 on an IRS website.

Eg: http://billmoyers.com/story/how-lobbying-by-tax-preparer-hel...

Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by ryanmarsh on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @01:15PM (#16377882)
This is not a partisan issue. Both parties have a long history of meddling with the IRS and generally making things worse.
Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by guelo on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @04:51PM (#16379793)
No, you can't say it's bipartisan when Republicans have consistently sought to intentionally damage the IRS by underfunding it. They even tried to impeach the IRS chief because he wouldn't go along with their manufactured fake news scandal about the Tea Party.
Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by warrenm on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @05:03PM (#16379903)
Republicans like Obama who reduced funding for the IRS multiple times while in office?
Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by nitwit005 on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @07:22PM (#16380887)
Odd that I remember him pushing to increase their budget then: http://www.govexec.com/management/2016/02/obama-would-hike-i...

In general, it does seem true that Republicans haven't been interested in funding the IRS, even though they seem to believe testimony that more funding would increase government income.

Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by BookmarkSaver on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @08:53PM (#16381339)
Did he reduce it, or was it simply reduced while he was in office. Because he had a Republican Congress for 75% of his presidency.
Re:The IRS’s Effort to Convert Its Assembly Codebase to Java by guelo on Wednesday February 14, 2018 @05:09PM (#16379970)
Obama had a republican Congress since 2010, which is when the IRS cuts started.