Thursday, September 14, 2023 – It’s clear as day: Biden’s promise to refrain from auditing households and small businesses making less than $400,000 a year was never believable from the get-go. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) just dropped a bombshell report saying as much. They reveal that the IRS is hopelessly out-of-date, using income thresholds from 1976! That’s right—while your cost-of-living skyrockets, the IRS is stuck in a time warp, holding onto an archaic definition of “high income” set at $200,000. This bureaucratic inflexibility isn’t just a quirky footnote; it’s leading to more audits for the little guy.
What’s even more shocking is that when TIGTA recommended that the IRS update this decades-old standard to align with Biden’s supposed $400,000 pledge, the IRS flat-out refused. They claim they need “agility” to go after anyone they please. This isn’t agility; it’s a power grab. The IRS wants an unchecked ability to audit whomever they wish, flying in the face of the President’s alleged intentions.
TIGTA didn’t mince words either. They slammed the IRS for having “no common understanding” of what high-income even means. And let’s not forget the report’s title: “The IRS Needs to Leverage the Most Effective Training for Revenue Agents Examining High-Income Taxpayers.” Translation? The IRS is not just outdated but woefully unprepared to enact even their own directives.
So here it is, plain and simple: the IRS isn’t about to rein itself in, and the Biden administration’s pledges are looking emptier by the day. It’s another glaring example of why expansive government power should be viewed with the utmost skepticism.
Steven A. Leahy is a tax attorney in Illinois. He was the host of the long-running popular Radio Show “The IRS Radio Hour” heard every Sunday evening on AM 560 The Answer. Attorney Leahy is also the author of the book “Deal With Your IRS Problems Today!” You can get a FREE copy of this important book at FreeIRSBook.com. Or Call 24/7 (312)664-6649