Setting the Law on Tax Cheaters

Arianna Huffington addresses the “corporate tax shelter” revenue loss with her usual misleading hyperbole, attacking the IRS as “coddling corporate crooks” (Commentary, July 23). The IRS is in fact pursuing corporate tax shelters, albeit it is still struggling to find the best use of its resources for challenging alleged abusive schemes. But in her zeal, Huffington seems to advocate abandoning the precious due-process protections she otherwise might attack Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft for ignoring.

Huffington remains curiously silent on the matter of massive tax losses from abusive tax sheltering engaged in by individual taxpayers, some of whom she must rub elbows with in her new chosen line of work as a Hollywood-celebrity liberal convert.

Kip Dellinger CPA

Los Angeles

*

How did the tax shelters that Huffington blames for budget ills emerge? Could it be that lawmakers accepting huge contributions to get reelected created them as payback for financial backing? It’s OK with me if tax loopholes are plugged; however, I don’t favor the spending that Huffington describes.

Why are we paying for after-school day care, preschool, early starters in kindergarten and other programs that parents should pay for? Why shouldn’t we expect adults to plan families only when they can afford to care for them? Why do we encourage parents to unload their children in state or federally funded programs instead of encouraging them to stay home and parent their kids? Offer parents the chance to keep their hard-earned dollars so that the average household can afford a stay-at-home parent on a single wage earner’s income.

Sandy Whaling

Piru, Calif.