this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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Summary

Mass firings at the IRS under the Trump administration threaten ongoing audits of wealthy individuals and corporations, potentially leading to millions in lost tax revenue.

The cuts primarily impacted employees in the Large Business & International Division, many of whom had extensive tax expertise.

With fewer agents and specialists, complex cases may be prematurely closed, undermining enforcement against high-end tax evasion.

Critics warn this weakens IRS oversight and emboldens tax avoidance among the ultrawealthy.

top 45 comments
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[–] griff@lemmings.world 2 points 5 hours ago

Thank goodness! The eternally suffering oligarchs will finally get a break from all the riff raff harassment

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 17 points 9 hours ago

Friendly reminder that Joe Biden increased resources to the IRS and they recouped billions from wealthy tax cheats.

But he was too old, so we went with an old rapist felon traitor instead.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 13 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Fucken sick of this blatant manipulation by the wealthy. The IRS is our fucken money maker.

[–] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 6 points 9 hours ago

Let's rename it to "Accounts Receivable" and really run this country like a business.

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 26 points 12 hours ago

I would say "why don't they just focus on rich people and not audit the other 90% of Americans." But we already know the answer to that one no matter who's in charge.

[–] mysticpickle@lemmy.ca 8 points 9 hours ago
[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 18 points 12 hours ago (5 children)

It doesn't make sense to me because there are fewer ultra wealthy people in America than there are poor people.
so with staff getting cut in half, you'd think it would be better to focus on the smaller group.

[–] hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone 17 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

The rich have more assets and income sources and have staff who do a bunch of financial chicanery to try to hide their tax evasion. Auditing the rich requires significantly more work than the poor.

These decisions are not about doing what makes sense. The IRS is a revenue generator. Spending money on the IRS brings in significantly more money in unpaid taxes than it costs.

The goal is not to do what's best for the government's budget. Its really about ensuring that their criminal friends can continue to get away with it.

[–] sibachian@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

but the payback from auditing the rich and finding cheats is way more than the few cents per poor.

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

It's high risk/high reward, vs low risk/low reward for lower income households. However I'm sure there are things like qoutas, etc. that push auditors to go after the easy wins.

Not to mention you loose some big cases against wealthy people cause they have a lot of money, and they come after your job or make the IRS look ineffective.

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 6 points 9 hours ago

Smaller group with more to pay. It's a no-brainer if you're acting in good faith and not a complete moron. So obviously not what the current administration is going to do.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 hours ago

Auditing the less wealthy is already automated.

[–] capital_sniff@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

This is just the continued pushing of the tax burden onto the middle class. Which really got started good under Reagan. I think this is just the result of the uneducated GOP supporters winning this election. Now it is just a constant flood of them having no idea how government functions while ruining stuff for the rest of society,

[–] Fluke@lemm.ee 2 points 6 hours ago

But they're winning! And fucking over "the libs" at the same time!

[–] Rubanski@lemm.ee 3 points 12 hours ago

I can only assume it's because rich people's audits are highly complex

[–] Bieren@lemmy.world 7 points 10 hours ago

Thank goodness. Those poor billionaires having to suffer with taxes and things like a pleb. Disrespectful. I bet no one has even publicly thanked them for being rich today.

[–] credo@lemmy.world 34 points 15 hours ago

Retail Store CEO:

We will save money by firing all the cashiers!

[–] DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth 53 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

That kind of seems like the opposite of efficiency

[–] SuiXi3D@fedia.io 50 points 16 hours ago

Almost like efficiency was never the point.

[–] Naich@lemmings.world 16 points 16 hours ago

Makes it more efficient for the wealthy when finding ways to avoid paying tax.

[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

Exactly the point.

[–] Litebit@lemmy.world 15 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Sue Trump and Elon for the illegal firing now before it is too late.

[–] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 5 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

That'll get you literally nowhere. Someone with deep pockets would be the only option to sue em, even then, they'll just counter sue for defamation and drown you in legal fees

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago

This is what you voted for protest non voters! Congratulations!

[–] TheProtagonist@lemmy.world 8 points 12 hours ago

Surprised Pikachu Face...

[–] CritFail@lemmy.world 70 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (3 children)

They should have cut all IRS investigations except the wealthy.

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 70 points 18 hours ago

For every dollar spent on IRS audits for middle America, they get about a dollar back in recovered revenue. For every dollar spent on auditing wealthy Americans, they get about twelve dollars back in recovered revenue. I don't think these cuts are intended to help balance the budget.

[–] Bronzebeard@lemm.ee 7 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

The rest of us are mostly automated. Checking your return against a W2 and a couple of bank 1099s is easy.

Chasing down tax dodging through a web of pass through entities is not.

[–] CritFail@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago

Fair point, but potential returns are massive, and if they were targeting likely evaders , they could compound the money spent on manual checks (a list of high ranking Republican members might be a good place to start)

[–] grue@lemmy.world 10 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Why would they do exactly the opposite of their goal?

[–] CritFail@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I may be behind, have they installed a Republican shill in directorship in the IRS as well as defunding them? If not, then they should still have agency in fund allocation

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 28 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

The Helmsley Doctrine (“only the little people pay taxes”) is now law

[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago

Trickle up economics

[–] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I refiled my W4s to pay little to no taxes. I realize they're going to come after it later, but I just plan to play dumb and delay and deny for as long as I can (without facing jail time).

[–] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 4 points 10 hours ago

Maybe tell them you were using it to pay the new import taxes Trump implemented and that you thought it was the same thing.

[–] PearOfDees69@lemmy.world 28 points 19 hours ago (3 children)

we the poor are not a fucking bank for these lazy bastards that just keep taking all our shit for their own personal financial gain.. And they'll keep taking and taking if we keep letting them, and we've been over the limit for some time already It's past due to push them off of us

[–] Tinidril@midwest.social 28 points 18 hours ago

And yet, Republicans have been steadily making gains with the working class. With this past election they are now the dominant party for working class voters. It comes down to two things. American voters are deeply ignorant and the Democratic party is pathetically weak and out of touch.

[–] Nollij@sopuli.xyz 1 points 9 hours ago

Less of a bank, and more like livestock. And you've seen how they treat other forms of livestock.

[–] aaron@infosec.pub 12 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

we the poor are not a fucking bank for these lazy bastards that just keep taking all our shit for their own personal financial gain

Capitalism is a trickle-up system, so yes, that is exactly what you are.

[–] ALiteralCabbage@feddit.uk 2 points 16 hours ago

That's some good praxis

[–] charade_you_are@sh.itjust.works 26 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Geez gosh golly!

I can't believe stuff like this happening under a Trump presidency ! Is it actually possible Trump wants good things to happen to the wealthy and nobody else!

Not possible! I refuse to believe it!

[–] MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net 14 points 18 hours ago

Clearly, it was Hunter Biden's intern's emails about a tan suit.

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

"taxpayers"