With IRS officials shelling out millions of dollars for lavish conferences, comedian Stephen Colbert had a little advice for the scandal-ridden agency: learn how to dance and work simultaneously.
During Tuesday night’s episode of ‘The Colbert Report,’ the host addressed a new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration that detailed the IRS’ 220 conferences — costing $50 million — over the past three years.
“And this scandal — this scandal isn’t just about how the IRS takes our money,” Colbert said. ” It’s about how they waste it too.”
Colbert was baffled by that level of spending for an agency that works only one day each year — April 15. But he quickly discovered how IRS officials spend the rest of their time.
“Now it turns out they spent the other 364 partying like it’s 1099…” Colbert said, referencing one of the IRS’ tax forms. “Yes, the IRS is wasting your hard-earned tax dollars on dance lessons for people with the rhythm of unevenly loaded washing machines.”
And with the IRS currently in the midst of an investigation, Colbert demanded a deeper look into what kind of line dances the IRS engaged in, asking if it was the electric slide — powered by Solyndra, he said — or the Cotton Eyed Joe.
“I hope not,” Colbert said. “Because he always takes the fifth. Nobody knows where he comes from or where he goes. Where do you come from, Cotton Eyed Joe?”
But the Comedy Central host had an easy fix to combine the IRS’ 364 days of partying with work, suggesting agency officials dance and review tax forms at the same time.
And he even showed them how it’s done.
“Ordinary dividends — taxable pensions and annuities — add lines 44 and 45 — residential energy credits — and slide,” Colbert sang while doing the Electric Slide.
Check out his hilarious jig below:
