The IRS announced on Friday that it is launching an effort to 1,600 millionaires are aggressively pursued y 75 large commercial companies that they need hundreds of millions of dollars in back taxes.
IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said that with a increasing federal funding and the help from artificial intelligence tools the agency has a new way of target the rich who “took shortcuts” in their taxes.
“If you pay your taxes on time, you should be more It’s sad to see wealthy taxpayers not doing this Werfel told reporters on a call before the announcement.
Millionaire debtors owe at least $250,000 each in back taxes
SAYS 1,600 millionaires who owe at least $250,000 each in back taxes and 75 large commercial companies with assets of approx 10 billion dollars on average is the target of new “compliance efforts.”
Werfel said that a massive recruitment effort and AI research tools developed by IRS employees and contractors play an important role in identifying wealthy tax evaders.
The agency is trying to show the positive results of your explosion of new funds under the Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, while Republicans in Congress are seeking to recover some of that money.
“New tools help us spot patterns and trends which we could not see before and, as a result, we have more confidence in where to look and find where the big associations are protecting the income,” he said.
In July, IRS leaders said that collected $38 million in delinquent taxes of more than 175 high-income taxpayers within a few months. Now, the agency will step up that effort, Werfel said.
“The IRS has many officials of revenue focused on high-level collection cases in fiscal year 2024,” he said.
A group of academic economists and IRS researchers found in 2021 that top 1% of US earners They do not report more than 20% of their income to the IRS.
she tax collection efforts recently announced to start in October. ““We still have some hiring to do,” Werfel said. “It’s going to be a very busy fall for us.”
Grover Norquist, who heads the conservative group Americans for Tax Reform, said the IRS plans to target high-income earners. Can’t stop the IRS from finally going after middle-income Americans for future audits.
“This power and these resources allow them to go after whoever they want,” he said. “The next step is to go after anyone they want to attack for political purposes.”
she Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden Democrat from Oregon, He called the new IRS plan a “huge problem.” “which” represents a new approach to tackle sophisticated tax evasion.
“This action goes to the heart of the Democrats’ effort ensuring that the wealthiest pay their fair share” he said in a statement.
David Williams of the right-leaning nonprofit Taxpayers Protection Alliance said: “All companies and all people have to pay their taxes, period”. But, “I just hope it is Don’t use that as an excuse to hire thousands of new agents to audit the American public. said.
IRS Resources
The federal tax collector has gained enhanced ability to identify tax criminals with the resources provided by Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed into law in August 2022.
The agency is about to receive an $80 billion infusion under the law, but money is tight. in the possible cut of Congress.
House Republicans incorporated a reduction of 1.4 billion dollars to the IRS of the debt ceiling and budget cuts package passed by Congress this summer.
The White House said the debt agreement also has a Separate Sane to Get $20 Billion from the IRS over the next two years and divert that money to other non-defense programs.
Facing the threat of a government shutdown amid a dispute over spending levels, there is the possibility of further agency cuts.
