{"id":1598734,"date":"2022-08-10T09:17:33","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T13:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1598734"},"modified":"2022-08-10T09:19:15","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T13:19:15","slug":"irs-commissioner-just-take-our-word-for-it-were-not-going-to-audit-the-middle-class-and-small-business-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-commissioner-just-take-our-word-for-it-were-not-going-to-audit-the-middle-class-and-small-business-more\/","title":{"rendered":"IRS Commissioner: Just Take Our Word for It We&#8217;re Not Going to Audit the Middle Class and Small Business More"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firs-commissioner-just-take-our-word-for-it-were-not-going-to-audit-the-middle-class-and-small-business-more%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1598734&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-irs\">IRS<\/a> has said it will \u201cabsolutely not\u201d be increasing audit scrutiny\u00a0on small businesses or middle-income Americans amid concerns over Democrats\u2019\u00a0Inflation Reduction Act, which provides nearly $80 billion in IRS funding, including\u00a0$45.6 billion for \u201cenforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig made the comments in a letter to members of the Senate on Aug. 4 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/pub\/irs-utl\/commissioners-letter-to-the-senate.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) in which he stated that the extra resources will \u201cget us back to historical norms in areas of challenge for the agency,\u201d such as\u00a0large corporate and global high-net-worth taxpayers and\u00a0multinational taxpayers with international tax issues.<\/p>\n<p>Those issues, he said, would require \u201csophisticated, specialized teams in place that are able to unpack complex structures and identify noncompliance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese resources are absolutely not about increasing audit scrutiny on small businesses or middle-income Americans,\u201d\u00a0Rettig added. \u201cAs we\u2019ve been planning, our investment of these enforcement resources is designed around the Department of the Treasury\u2019s directive that audit rates will not rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Inflation Reduction Act was approved in a 51\u201350 vote in the Senate this week, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tie-breaker for Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>It includes a provision allocating billions of dollars in taxpayer services, business systems modernization, and operations support as well as \u201cenforcement\u201d to the IRS over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>A Treasury Department\u00a0report\u00a0from May 2021 (<a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/system\/files\/136\/The-American-Families-Plan-Tax-Compliance-Agenda.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) estimated that such an investment would enable the agency to hire roughly 87,000 employees by 2031.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4655023\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10\/GettyImages-1242372442-1200x800.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4655023\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/08\/10\/GettyImages-1242372442-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to reporters outside the Senate Chamber after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 7, 2022. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<h2>Those at the Top Avoiding Tax?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThese appropriated funds are to remain available until September 30, 2031, and no use of the funds is intended to increase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-taxes\">taxes<\/a> on any taxpayer with taxable income below $400,000,\u201d the provision states.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have argued that the funding is needed because \u201chardworking American families pay their taxes on time while wealthy millionaires and billionaires avoid paying the taxes they owe to the federal government\u201d and the IRS needs to tackle this.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout these new investments, those at the top will be able to get away with more and more tax avoidance. That\u2019s not fair to the tens of millions of honest, hardworking taxpayers who play by the rules,\u201d lawmakers said.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats have pointed to a May\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/products\/gao-22-104960\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0Government Accountability Office showing that IRS audits have dropped over the past decade for all income levels, including\u00a0higher-income taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>A March 2021 report (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.treasury.gov\/tigta\/auditreports\/2021reports\/202130011fr.pdf\">pdf<\/a>) by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that IRS audits had dropped\u00a0by 44 percent overall between fiscal years 2015 and 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The IRS has blamed the declining audit rates on staffing issues and the lack of experts needed to handle\u00a0complex higher-income audits.<\/p>\n<p>They have also cited a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataforprogress.org\/blog\/2022\/1\/31\/voters-want-the-irs-to-crack-down-on-tax-evasion-by-the-wealthy\">recent poll<\/a> by Data for Progress, in which nearly\u00a0three-quarters of Americans said they believe the IRS should conduct more tax audits of large corporations and millionaires.<\/p>\n<p>However, critics of the move have raised concerns that the IRS would use the extra \u201cenforcement\u201d money and\u00a0tens of thousands of extra agents to\u00a0target middle-class Americans instead.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4655026\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1242372490-1200x800-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-large wp-image-4655026\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1242372490-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4655026\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/GettyImages-1242372490-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> (L-R) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leave the Senate Chamber after final passage of the Inflation Reduction Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Aug. 7, 2022. (Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Targeting Middle-Class Americans\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who voted against the\u00a0Inflation Reduction Act this week, said the extra IRS agents will \u201ctarget Americans with 1.2 million new audits, more than half of which would be for people making less than $75,000 a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis bill is a giveaway to the Democrats\u2019 radical leftist base at the expense of middle-class Americans. It\u2019s a betrayal of President [Joe] Biden\u2019s promise to not raise taxes on the middle class. Make no mistake\u2014this bill will hurt America and hardworking Americans at a time when we can least afford it,\u201d Cruz\u00a0wrote\u00a0in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cruz.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/cruz-statement-on-voting-against-schumer-manchin-tax-and-spend-bill\">Aug. 7 statement.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), who is the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/gop-campaign-arm-irs-middle-class-dem-inflation-bill\">told<\/a>\u00a0Fox News Digital on Aug. 8 that Biden is \u201cbuilding an army of IRS agents to harass and bully the middle class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s something that should concern every American taxpayer,\u201d Emmer stated. \u201cThe IRS targeted conservatives during the Obama administration, so it\u2019s fair to wonder whether Joe Biden will use his new IRS army to attack conservatives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere,\u00a0Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the\u00a0ranking Republican member of the Senate Finance Committee, said the newly-bolstered IRS would go after individuals earning less than\u00a0$400,000\u00a0as opposed to\u00a0tax cheats and millionaires.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy colleagues claim this massive funding boost will allow the IRS to go after millionaires, billionaires and so-called rich \u2018tax cheats,\u2019 but the reality is a significant portion raised from their IRS funding bloat would come from taxpayers with income below $400,000,\u201d he said in an Aug. 7\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.finance.senate.gov\/ranking-members-news\/crapo-offers-amendment-to-protect-middle-class-small-businesses-from-supersized-irs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to\u00a0the\u00a0Congressional Budget Office,\u00a0the financial enhancement to the IRS is expected to\u00a0bring in $203.7 billion in revenue from 2022 to 2031.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-katabella-roberts\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/ttl7dayERL_WEB_KatabellaRoberts.jpg\" alt=\"Katabella Roberts\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Katabella Roberts is a news writer for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States, world, and business news.\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The IRS has said it will \u201cabsolutely not\u201d be increasing audit scrutiny\u00a0on small businesses or middle-income Americans amid concerns over Democrats\u2019\u00a0Inflation Reduction Act, which provides nearly $80 billion in IRS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1598734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1598734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1598734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1598734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1598734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1598734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}