Bill Gives Local Police Federal Tax Enforcement Powers

Then the cops could shoot your dog for all-new reasons

ST. PETERSBURG — If Sen. Bill Nelson had his way, local police departments across the country would not only be empowered to go after criminals breaking local laws, but also enforce federal tax crimes related to fraud and identity theft.

The Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Prevention Act, introduced by Nelson on July 25, would allocate upwards of $10 million to the Internal Revenue Service for enforcement of "potential" cases of tax fraud across the nation.

The bill also would dramatically increase the penalty for fumbled tax paperwork by the tax preparer—upwards of $100,000.