Days ago, Democrats managed to get the Inflation Reduction Act through the Senate, only with votes from their party. The bill now heads to the House, where it will also inevitably pass on only Democratic votes before being signed by Joe Biden.
This isn’t the first time Democrats have done this. In 2021, the American Rescue Plan was just another piece of legislation that passed through Congress and into law without getting a single GOP vote.
However, unlike the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act involves major upticks in IRS workers. Now, questions have come up about the number of IRS agents that will be added and the true intentions behind this part of the bill, per Newsmax.
A Closer Look at Concerns About the IRS
This new spending bill devotes close to $80 billion in IRS funding; with this funding, the IRS will be able to increase its revenue and workers on the beat.
Now, the Biden administration and Democrats have consistently claimed their efforts involving the IRS are to ensure that billionaires and corporations “pay their fair share” in taxes.
Yet, the number of new agents being added to the IRS is many times over the number of billionaires in America today.
Republicans warn the writing is on the wall here; they’re also saying Democrats are using the IRS as a tool to squeeze more money out of Americans to pay for various projects and “free” handouts.
There are 724 billionaires in the US and 87,000 new IRS agents.
They're not going after the rich, cupcakes. They're coming for you.
— Hannah Cox (@HannahDCox) August 8, 2022
Naturally, officials with the IRS are disputing these claims. Commissioner Charles Rettig argues the funding boost for the agency isn’t going to be used to impose audits or other acts against small businesses and everyday people.
Yet, many inquiring minds are still wondering why the Treasury Department is aiming to add 87,000 agents to the IRS.
While the agency denies that it will go after everyday Americans, it has yet to inform the public of what the new funding and agents will be used to accomplish.
More Information on New IRS Agents
As many Americans raise questions about the role of the IRS going forward, Levy and Associates has some insight on at least some of what to expect from new agents.
According to the tax resolution firm, new IRS agents will need to undergo training that lasts for six months.
Are we so broken as a nation we can't all hate the IRS together?
— Bridget Phetasy (@BridgetPhetasy) August 5, 2022
Then, after this training is over, the cases they’ll receive are most likely to be ones that involve hundreds of thousands of dollars, rather than millions upon millions.
Levy and Associates also pointed out that taxpayers who are self-employed may have a stronger chance of facing audits, depending upon the nature of their returns.
Are you concerned about the Inflation Reduction Act growing the IRS? You’re invited to let us know in the comments area.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
