South Sound Times

Joe Kent, a candidate for Congress in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, has signalled his support for a bill that would block the use of funds to "build an army of tax SWAT teams," according to a press release from the Stand For Freedom PAC. The legislation is authored by Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks, and is intended to be a response to the $80 billion allocated for the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act passed earlier this year, which is to be used to hire new IRS personnel and increase enforcement.

According to his campaign website, Kent is an Army Ranger and Special Forces veteran. In 2019, his wife was killed fighting ISIS in Syria. Kent faces incumbent Democrat Marie Perez.

"My opponent says she's 'different' while mocking the defense of our southern border, praising new taxes on U.S. energy production and the middle class, and is on the record supporting 87,000 new IRS agents," Kent wrote in an Oct. 18 Twitter post.

The Stand For Freedom PAC lauded Kent's pledge to back Banks' legislation, specifically highlighting concerns over the additions of "IRS adding tens of thousands of new agents, with $46 billion specifically targeted for increased enforcement."

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the administration’s plan to increase funding to hire additional IRS staff would result in approximately $200 billion of additional tax revenue over 10 years from heightened tax enforcement activities.

According to the Senate Joint Committee on Taxation, increased tax enforcement activities would have a greater impact on those making $50,000 a year or less with over 50% of the projected revenue raised coming from taxpayers in that income bracket. The report also suggested that only about 4% to 9% of the additional tax revenue collected would come from those making $500,000 a year or more.

In place of funding for 87,000 new IRS staff, Banks’ filed legislation would make permanent and increase the standard deduction tax break from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. According to the bill, beginning in 2023 the deductions would be set at $14,025 for individuals, $21,060 for heads of households and $28,050 for families and would increase by inflation every fiscal year.

According to the Tax Foundation, an increase to the standard deduction would equate to a significant annual tax decrease for middle-class Americans.