Well, today is April 15th, otherwise known as Tax Day. It is a day that millions of Americans dread, as many have procrastinated until the last minute to file their state and federal income tax returns. Post Offices stays open until midnight across the country in order to give taxpayers every last moment to finish up their paperwork. In recent years, the advent of online tax software and e-filing has made it easier for Americans to submit their taxes, providing even more incentive to wait until the final day to file.
Now, who knows if Republicans on Capitol Hill waited around until today to file their taxes. Likely, they all had accountants take care of it for them. What we do know is that many of them had time enough to get on Twitter and tweet their feelings about Tax Day, the IRS and income taxes in general. As you can probably guess, many of them called for abolishing the IRS, lowering or eliminating income tax rates or pushing for a simpler tax code (such as a ‘flat’tax.)
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Below are some of the most noteworthy tweets sent out on Tuesday. Some used hashtags such #AbolishTheIRS, #TaxDay or #TaxDayIn3Words:
Of course, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) got in on the action. He actually had two tweets today related to Tax Day.
#AbolishTheIRS #TaxDayIn3Words
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 15, 2014
This Tax Day, it’s particularly distressing to hand over our hard-earned dollars to #IRS in wake of targeting scandal http://t.co/wlAVebZP7N — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 15, 2014
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) sent out this tweet.
Working Americans deserve a chance to put more of their paycheck into their personal savings or to spend it on their families. #TaxDay — Eric Cantor (@GOPLeader) April 15, 2014
Currently, there are three US Congressmen from Georgia that are looking to get the GOP nomination for the state’s open US Senate seat. Two of them made sure to send out tweets today making sure everyone knew that they hated taxes. Poor Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) apparently missed the memo.
What better time than #TaxDay, 2 remind everyone that President Obama has proposed 442 tax hikes since taking office? http://t.co/eDJQmOotCm
— Paul Broun (@RepPaulBrounMD) April 15, 2014
Reagan said, “Republicans believe every day is the Fouth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15.” pic.twitter.com/iORdvgfh7C
— Paul Broun (@RepPaulBrounMD) April 15, 2014
Not to be outdone by Broun, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) went on a tweeting rampage on Tuesday to show he hates the IRS and income taxes most of all.
First, Kington set the stage with this tweet, letting his followers know that there was going to be much more to come throughout the day.
It’s #TaxDay – Remember, it’s your money and you can spend it better than Washington. Stay tuned for more throughout the day!
— Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
After that, Kingston went nuts, sending out tweets saying that the the IRS is a Democratic attack group targeting conservatives, advising people to not pay their taxes and stating that the government taxes people when they die.
On #TaxDay remember it’s YOUR money, gov’t shouldn’t “withhold” it every month! #AbolishTheIRS pass the #FairTax http://t.co/0qjgstx0XU
— Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
Abolish. The. IRS. #TaxDayIn3Words — Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
On #TaxDay remember the IRS is now a Dem attack group targeting conservatives http://t.co/3gS8mN50HR #AbolishTheIRS — Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
As @AndrewStilesUSA reported, Dems want higher taxes http://t.co/E5H5rDY24A Well, Obama listens – 442 tax increases! http://t.co/ba8bpw86kW — Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
On #TaxDay remember DC bureaucrats only decided to stop confiscating innocent taxpayer $$ after national outrage http://t.co/s9D8FqhaNh — Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
This #TaxDay remember the gov’t will tax you for dying, read my latest letter calling for repeal of the Death Tax – http://t.co/oB5JF28grK — Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
This #TaxDay read about how the gov’t is taking and keeping your refund check, even if you did nothing wrong! http://t.co/g8TETjPh1E — Rep. Jack Kingston (@JackKingston) April 15, 2014
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) was another House Republican who brought up the IRS as an organization intent on targeting conservatives.
On #TaxDay, I’m reminded of the amount of power the #IRS has and the desperate need for more accountability. #TeaPartyTargeting#LoisLerner — Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) April 15, 2014
Finally, this all wouldn’t be complete without a tweet from one Darrell Issa.
Individuals and businesses spend 6.1 Billion hours per year filing taxes. How else could that time be used? #TaxDay pic.twitter.com/GEAma5PNln
— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) April 15, 2014
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).