The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is using a new army of tax collectors to conduct mass audits of middle-income earners after Democrats promised additional resources would only be used to target the rich.
On Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., celebrated the federal government’s collection of more than $1 billion in taxes from “high-wealth taxpayers” as a triumph for the agency’s radical expansion under President Joe Biden.
“Democrats boosted IRS funding, and it’s already gotten back $1 BILLION from millionaire tax cheats,” the Massachusetts senator wrote in response to a story in The Boston Globe. “Republicans want to cut IRS funding again to protect their rich tax-dodging buddies — no way.”
A columnist for the paper trumpeted by Warren, however, pointed out that “Buried deep in the same story: Two-thirds of IRS audits initiated last year were on taxpayers making less than $200,000.”
Buried deep in the same story: Two-thirds of IRS audits initiated last year were on taxpayers making less than $200,000. https://t.co/THeAi5Akup
— Jeff Jacoby (@Jeff_Jacoby) July 11, 2024
In fact, the note on IRS middle-class audits is highlighted at the end of The Boston Globe’s story, which is headlined, “IRS collects milestone $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth taxpayers.”
“Demian Brady, vice president of research for the National Taxpayers Union Foundation — says the IRS still targets non-high-wealth partnerships for audits,” the Globe reported.
“It should also be noted that nearly two-thirds of audits initiated in 2023 were on those making less than $200,000,” Brady
