Every month, Senator Joni Ernst identifies a Washington expense, program or concept that has proven wasteful and needs to go as the recipient of the Squeal Award. This month’s Squeal Award recipient has been identified as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and their failure to properly monitor claims and payments under the Federal Tax Credit. Ernst says that a 2015 audit by the U.S. Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration found the tax credit is not working the way it was intended and the oversight for compliance is dismal. The audit says the IRS fails to have adequate controls and processes in place to identify erroneous claims and they have mishandled nearly $100 million. Ernst says as she has travels across the state, she hears Iowan’s voice their frustration with how complicated and broken the program is and how many loopholes exist.
