The Internal Revenue Service is finding itself in the same position that many taxpayers face.

The IRS is under investigation from the Senate Finance Committee for serious abuses of power and unwarranted prosecution of many taxpayers.

These hearings also come after the revelation two weeks ago that Paula Jones was going to be audited by the IRS.

It sounds like an odd coincidence, seeing that she is suing the president for sexual harassment.

Taxpayers have long suspected abuses like those revealed last week.

With the unsavory reputation of the agency, few are sympathetic with the IRS.

The most troubling aspect of this controversy is that the IRS was using funds from taxpayers to investigate, audit and harrass other taxpayers.

It’s very true that if the IRS didn’t exist, our tax system would be in shambles.

However when abuses like these are taking place, it’s time to analyze our current tax system and see if we are doing the right thing.

Tax laws are becoming more complex and harder to understand, and the tax bureaucracy is getting larger by the year.

It’s becoming more apparent that it might be time to significantly change our tax system.

Steve Forbes ran for president last year on the platform of abolishing the IRS and establishing a flat tax.

While Forbes’ ideas were shocking for some, eliminating a government agency that is causing unwarranted grief for many Americans may not be a bad idea.

Reform of such an entrenched bureaucracy is an immense task, but we must not relent in these investigations or we will continue to hear these dismaying stories of abuse from law-abiding Americans.