IRS employees are upset about upcoming unpaid furloughs caused by the US government sequester. The sequester requires that $600 million dollars be cut from the IRS budget this year. This cut forces the IRS to put its nearly 100,000 employees on up to seven days of unpaid leave. IRS employees are protesting around the country and the largest rally to date was held last week in New York.
Do the Math
The IRS workers, led by their union, The National Treasury Employees Union, claim that every dollar invested in the Service returns seven dollars of revenue to the government. Their message to Congress is that the IRS is not the place to be making government cuts.
Impact to General Public
The furlough days, spread over several payroll periods, will possibly result in fewer audits and longer wait times when we contact the IRS for service or assistance.
The Human Interest Story
Of course the workers are not happy with the upcoming smaller pay checks, especially in light of the three-year pay freeze that they are experiencing. The IRS employees list the impacts to their lives as not being able to travel, having to dip into savings, switching to cheaper cell phone plans, and settling for less expensive summer camps for their kids. Fearful that the furlough days may be a sign of things to come, the workers are also wondering if government spending cuts will impact their future performance bonuses.
