Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany (R-La.) released information on Tuesday provided by the Internal Revenue Service confirming the IRS devoted a massive amount of resources to union activities.
The IRS provided the information to Boustany in response to his April 18 letter that asked for an accounting of when the tax-collecting organization’s employees left their official duties to attend union training paid for by taxpayers.
The IRS said that in Fiscal Year 2012 its employees used 573,319 hours on union activity – the equivalent of 23,888 days or more than 65 years. In FY2013 – through June – IRS employees have spent approximately 400,000 hours on union activity. Based on the average federal salary, this represents $16 million in taxpayer-funded wages that went exclusively to union activity.
The IRS also reported that it spent more than $1 million over the course of FY2012 and FY2013 on travel expenses for union activity.
“It is ridiculous that the IRS can come before Congress and request an additional $1 billion while dedicating millions of taxpayer dollars on union-related activities,” Boustany said. “Until the IRS shows it is using its budget to better serve taxpayers, it should not come to Congress asking for more money.”
The IRS is represented by the National Treasury Employees Union. The NTEU represents some 150,000 bargaining unit employees in 31 federal agencies and departments.