Today's Boston Globe reports that the IRS is considering giving data to other agencies to aid in national security efforts, specifically including the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
I try to be open minded about the need for agencies to sometimes share information. As a researcher, I realize how frustrating it can be to know that key information that can help people get the services they need exists but can't be accessed. This, however, does not seem to be one of those situations. A few issues to consider:
1) First and foremost, this continues the increasingly disturbing trend of dismantling privacy rights for ambiguously defined national security purposes.
2) Workers that are non-U.S. citizens who have employers that pay taxes on them or pay taxes themselves deserve our admiration, not an incentive to operate under the table.
3) As the article points out, "people file tax returns only if they know they won't be used for anything else". That's a relationship of trust between taxpayers and the IRS that shouldn't be lightly dismissed.
It may sometimes be necessary to obtain financial data about ill-intentioned individuals for the safety of the public. These situations should be clearly defined by lawmakers and certified by the courts. Safeguards must be created to ensure that innocent undocumented workers do not become the vicitms such a system. Any use of private information provided to the government by taxpayers for other purposes is questionable and demands public debate.
Posted by sarah at September 29, 2003 9:19 AM | TrackBack