Could the IRS machines be telling us something?
Apr 18, 2018, 7:11 AM | Updated: 8:30 am
The IRS is using computer programs from when John F. Kennedy was president. Back when the tax rate on rich people was 91 percent. (File, Associated Press)
(File, Associated Press)
We all have our bad days from time to time. But not like David Kautter who on the very day he was testifying before Congress as acting IRS commissioner had to make this announcement:
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“I was told that a number of IRS systems are unavailable at the moment,” he said.
As in the entire electronic payments system.
Long-time tax accountant Don DeSantis knew something was wrong as soon as he logged on.
“We got this very bizarre message that said the system is down for planned maintenance from April 17 until December 31 of the year 9999.”
Que the “The Twilight Zone” music. Could tax reform have opened up a wormhole into the next dimension?
Uh, no. Not really. Retired IRS commissioner John Koskinen thinks there was an all-too-human reason behind this.
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“With continued under-funding, it was not a question of whether the system was going to fail, it was just a question of when,” he said. “It’s bad enough when you’re running software that was running when John F. Kennedy was president…”
Wait a minute. The IRS is using computer programs from when John F. Kennedy was president? When JFK was elected the tax rate on rich people was 91 percent. Could the machines be trying to tell us something?
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