IRS to Army Employees: Pay Up (Please)

With Tuesday being "Taxdueday," I hope all you Army employees have made that extra effort to file your taxes. In case you didn't get the word, the IRS sent a letter to Army Secretary Pete Geren asking him for assistance in getting Army personnel to comply with tax filing requirements.

It seems that the average tax delinquency rate (i.e., balances owed and/or an unfiled tax return) averages 4.68 percent for Army personnel, while for the rest of government it is only 3.8 percent.

The IRS told Geren, "Our system of taxation relies on voluntary compliance. If the public perceives that the federal employees do not maintain the highest level of tax compliance, public confidence in government will suffer."

So, if you would, the IRS asks Geren, please remind your employees through "memorandum, publication, pay statement insert or through your local area network" to voluntarily comply.

And, if they don't, the IRS told Geren to expect "this issue to generate congressional and media interest during the tax filing season."

So, for the good of public confidence in government that rests on Army employee shoulders, won't you please file your taxes?