Paul L. Caron
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Saturday, December 17, 2016

The IRS Scandal, Day 1318:  More On Koskinen And Trump

IRS Logo 2Politico Morning Tax, Koskinen Gets Expansive:

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen sat down with Tax Analysts recently, and dropped some pretty interesting tidbits — his meeting with the Trump transition team, for instance, didn’t touch on whether he’d finish his term. (He added that he’d step aside if Trump asked him to, but that he thinks it’s best for the agency if he serves until his term expires in November.)

Koskinen also said it could be a real pain for the agency if Congress does repeal Obamacare, given all the resources the IRS allocated to implement the health care law. And he said he’s concerned that the sort of treatment he received from congressional Republicans might make talented people in the private sector think twice about hopping over to the government. (Though to be fair, Trump’s Cabinet choices suggest there are still people from the business world willing to make the jump.)

Morning Tax’s favorite part of the interview was Koskinen’s discussion of how he worked with Trump on a Manhattan hotel deal four decades ago. Koskinen, who called Trump “irrepressible,” said the real estate magnate didn’t coast like other children of wealth. “It was clear that Donald was going to make a career for himself,” Koskinen said. “I mean, he didn't have a hobby. He worked all day and all night.” (Bonus content: Trump called Koskinen to congratulate him after the IRS chief was nominated in 2013, and has since then sent him a note to say that he’d been criticized for defending the commissioner in a television interview.)

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2016/12/the-irs-scandal-day-1318more-on-koskinen-and-trump.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

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