Guilty but not tried

I just read a report that the IRS is freezing the refunds on tax returns it considers suspicious. That part is fine. What's troubling is that the IRS doesn't tell the taxpayers why the refund has been frozen. They just sit on the money, sometimes forever, without bringing charges or allowing the taxpayers to prove their innocence.

And, low and behold, it appears that most of these returns are from low income people who are claiming the earned income tax credit that was designed to assist low income persons. This is an aspect of the tax law that the Bush administration has been trying to nullify ever since it became GOD. Of course, rather than ask the Congress to amend the tax law, the Bushies just decided to circumvent Congress and add all kinds of non-legislated restrictions to the program, making it virtually impossible for a low income person to file.

Now, even those who do file are being denied the benefit.