Dan Alban of the Daily Caller Provides Support for Joe--and for Robert, too

One of the ongoing activities of the tax blogosphere is the debate between Joe Kristan (Roth CPA Updates) and Robert Flach (Wandering Tax Pro) on the merits of the new licensing/identification requirements of the IRS. Mr. Alban weighs in on the side of Joe on the regulation in general, saying that it fixes something that wasn't broke and that the new procedure has potential for political abuse in the future. Mr. Flach does not go away empty-handed, however; the writer criticizes the IRS for favoring attorneys and CPAs (strong implication: connectedness of their lobbyists) over others who have been preparing returns for years and even decades.

The author writes a thought-provoking piece which finds most of the flaws in the new regulation. Time alone will tell whether Mr. Alban's concerns are well-founded.