WASHINGTON - April 7, 2010 - Though the Internal Revenue Service insists the health care law doesn't allow the agency to do anything "too punitive" - like lock up people or seize their property - for breaking the mandate to buy health insurance, Republicans on the top tax-writing committee in Congress say they can't imagine the IRS wouldn't try to expand its power.

IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman says his agents may target taxpayers' refunds in order to collect fines from those who don't buy health coverage.

But batten down the hatches, Republicans warn, saying the enforcement won't stop there.

With the law requiring almost everyone in the United States to buy health insurance starting in 2014, tax-collecting agents are faced with the enormous task of enforcing the new mandate. Republicans who have long opposed the provision say the IRS and Congress will soon find that simply docking peoples' refunds isn't going to cut it.

What about taxpayers who aren't getting refunds? What about taxpayers whose fines would exceed their refunds?

"Then you'll have voices in Congress who will say, 'Ah hah, we need more tools to go after taxpayers,'" said Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.). "That'll be the next part, the broadening of the authority of the Internal Revenue Service."

Rep. Charles Boustany (R-Lou.), ranking Republican on the oversight panel of the House Ways and Means Committee, said it's likely the IRS will come back and either use other tools in its repertoire to recover fines or request additional authority from Congress.