Letters: Immigration, Colorado shooting, IRS and property taxes

Immigration

All the asylum seekers coming from South America are flooding into America. Yet, it is our own fault that nothing is being done. The U.S. government – Congress – whether Republican or Democrat, could at least take a step to resolve this part of the immigration problem.

The asylum immigrants must file an application. This takes about three months or longer. Then they wait to have their application hearing and this can take three to five years. And during that time, it is the U.S. law that they cannot work. So it is our own fault that immigration has become a mess.

Also, to show how broken the U.S. system is, during all those three to five years when the immigrants cannot work, the taxpayers are paying for food, lodging, medical, etc.

Instead of hiring 87,000 more IRS workers, the government should take half of them and put them on processing the asylum immigrants through the system. It is ridiculous!

Also, each state has a National Guard that goes on active duty yearly. There should be a rotating system where each state sends the guard to help out at the border towns.

Cherry Woodbury, Meridian

Colorado shooting

The religious right and the GOP has caused another mass shooting with their constant hate speech toward gay Americans. This time it is in Colorado. I’m sure they will all send hopes and prayers as a solution for the act that they caused.

Allen L Wenger, Boise

IRS

What are you afraid of Sen. Crapo?

I was shocked by Sen. Mike Crapo’s campaign ad lambasting Congress for increasing the budget for the IRS. For years Congress has been cutting the IRS’s budget reducing its effectiveness and ability to collect taxes. This became clear during the 2020-21 tax seasons. In addition to normal attrition, the IRS had employees just leave and not return. Mail piled up in trucks, tax returns were not processed, refunds from 2020 have yet to be returned to taxpayers, phones and correspondence are not answered, offices are not staffed, and they are using outdated computer hardware and systems, just a few problems the agency is facing. Where does Sen. Crapo think the revenues come from to run our country? The IRS is not our enemy. As a CPA, I have worked with the IRS for over 60 years. Their employees are hard-working individuals. Their mission is to ensure that all taxpayers pay their fair share of taxes. When their effectiveness and ability to function is strangled, only non-filers and tax cheats are winners. We all pay for this inability. So again I ask, what are you afraid of Sen. Crapo?

Dorothy Ann Snowball, Boise

Property taxes

I just got my property tax bill, which went up $900 compared to last year.

It’s time for the Legislature to address property tax relief. I don’t understand their preoccupation with reducing income taxes, which are pretty moderate and reasonable. It’s a nice gift but one I didn’t ask for - kind of like the paisley shirt I got for my birthday.

I don’t mind that my property values are going up. But as a senior citizen living on a fixed income, it’s a problem when my property taxes go up faster than my income.

What’s the solution? Provide an income tax credit equal to x% of an owner-occupied homeowner’s property tax bill. For example, in Illinois you qualify for an income tax credit equal to 5% of your property tax bill. It’s simple and it eases your property tax burden while further reducing income tax revenues. It will help homeowners and new home buyers while allowing legislators to take credit for reducing income tax receipts even more. A win-win for everyone.

William Rice, Boise