IRS: We Will ‘Absolutely Not’ Target Everyday Americans With New Army Of Agents

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig vowed in a recent letter that the agency would “absolutely not” use the 87,000 new employees funded by the Inflation Reduction Act to target middle-class Americans.

In his letter to lawmakers, Rettig contended that the $80 billion provided to the IRS through the pending $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act is long overdue. He argued that the resources would be devoted to “large corporate and global high-net-worth taxpayers” while serving as an aide to typical filers.

“These resources are absolutely not about increasing audit scrutiny on small businesses or middle-income Americans,” he wrote. “Other resources will be invested in employees and IT systems that will allow us to better serve all taxpayers, including small businesses and middle-income taxpayers. Enhanced IT systems and taxpayer service will actually mean that honest taxpayers will be better able to comply with the tax laws, resulting in a lower likelihood of being audited and a reduced burden on them.”

The IRS employed nearly 79,000 full-time employees as of fiscal year 2021, according to the agency, which also reported $13.7 billion in operating costs.- READ MORE