I agree that it makes more sense to just garnish their wages. It would be the most logical and cheapest option anyway. I mean, the Treasury is cutting the check in the first place so WTF.lol Firing should be a last resort, extreme cases aside.

can't you lose your security clearance over not paying taxes? how can they still be working without having paid the tax man?

The statistics are slanted. Some of the money "owed" is not really owed. It is a discrepancy between the fed and the IRS. Example..the IRS misentered someone else's ssn as mine. It showed I owed when I did not but my boss was notified. I am sure some of those people are truely not complying though..

How about do using a tiered system:

1) If they owe - $0-$10K, garnish wages until taxes are paid but make it reasonable based on having children to support

2) $10K-$20K - they have 90 days to pay up or they are fired

3) over $20K - pink slip

I like it too because those in situations to have a lien filed is pretty serious IMHO. It's not a matter of ignoring IRS notices for a few times.

Ironically enough I formed this opinion due to my own history. I acutally didn't file returns for three years (dealing with job loss and depression), and I got so many notices from the IRS and several chances to make it right. And when I filed and it turned out that I was due a return on two years, the IRS paid that amount and if I remember correctly the IRS even waived the penalty for not filing. Basically if you get your sh*t together and deal with the delinquencies even after a long time, you don't go near being threatened with a lien so I can only imagine how the people must have responded or not acted to actually get liens. I remember thinking that the IRS was surprisingly lenient in terms of giving plenty of time and chances to respond (or argue your case if you disagreed with the IRS numbers).

Seriously, it's a flawed proposal.

How about just have the IRS garnish their wages for what they owe plus a fine? Then the money actually gets paid.

If you look at the statistics, Feds still owe less in unpaid taxes than the general public. Firing people for unpaid taxes or debts of any kind is akin to the failed debt prisons of old... because it literally makes it impossible for the person to pay back the debt.

So the Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2013 passed out of Committee today and is now on its way to the full House. Those with taxes delinquent enough for a lien would be fired/can't apply with the fed.

Currently over 100,000 Feds owe more than $1 billion in taxes. Ouch! Having always paid my taxes I can't imagine how these people love with themselves.

I like it. Yes I get that if they don't have a job they can't pay-- but they have a job and don't pay so why should we continue to support them?