Attorneys for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Internal Revenue Service</a> whistleblower who alleges the criminal investigation into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hunter-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunter Biden</a> has become corrupted by lies and politics reportedly met with members of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Congress</a>.
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/politics/hunter-biden-irs-whistleblower-congressional-investigation/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sources told CNN</a> the conversation on Friday with investigators from the GOP-led House Ways and Means Committee and Democrat-controlled Senate Finance Committee helps lay the groundwork for what could be a formal disclosure involving sensitive tax information in the near future.
“The process is proceeding on a bipartisan basis with ranking member [Mike] Crapo’s staff,” Ryan Carey, a spokesman for Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), told the news outlet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
An IRS whistleblower&#39;s attorneys meet with congressional investigators about the Hunter Biden probe <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulaReidCNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PaulaReidCNN</a> reports <a href="https://t.co/NkEpuuhf7j">pic.twitter.com/NkEpuuhf7j</a>
&mdash; The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLeadCNN/status/1655720674608963584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Chairman [Jason] Smith is working to ensure all of the appropriate steps are taken in this particular investigation to receive and evaluate the allegations and information this whistleblower shares with Congress and has publicly pledged that the committee will go where the facts lead,&#8221; a House Ways and Means Committee spokesperson <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-probe-irs-whistleblowers-lawyer-meets-congress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CBS News</a>. &#8220;Each week and day provide a new opportunity to advance this particular whistleblower claim and shed more light and transparency for the American people.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/06/politics/hunter-biden-investigation-federal-prosecutors-weighing-charges/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI and IRS</a> investigators have been looking into Biden for years. After Biden&#8217;s lawyers met with Department of Justice officials late last month, sources <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/03/hunter-biden-criminal-charges-david-weiss/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Washington Post</a> that potential charges for tax- and gun-related crimes may soon follow from Delaware&#8217;s U.S. Attorney David Weiss.
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whistleblower-mania-rocks-hunter-biden-probe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS supervisor</a>, who has not been publicly identified, reached out to top lawmakers last month <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-whistleblower-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-misconduct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeking to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress</a> about a high-profile investigation which has since been identified as the Hunter Biden probe. Hunter Biden has said he expects to be cleared of wrongdoing, and his father, President Joe Biden, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-defends-son-hunter-ahead-possible-federal-tax-gun-charges-rcna83154" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told MSNBC</a> last week that his son has &#8220;done nothing wrong.&#8221;
Mark Lytle, the IRS official&#8217;s lawyer, has said his client already made disclosures to multiple inspectors general, including &#8220;examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions&#8221; and claims that &#8220;contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee.&#8221; Lytle <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-investigation-irs-agent-requests-whistleblower-protections-congress/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CBS News</a> that his client has emails and other communications to back up his disclosures.
The senior official referenced by Lytle in his letter to Congress <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/20/merrick-garland-at-center-of-hunter-biden-whistleblower-claim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has been identified</a> as Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/merrick-garland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merrick Garland</a>, who spoke briefly about the inquiry during congressional testimony in March. &#8220;I pledged not to interfere with that investigation and I have carried through on my pledge,&#8221; Garland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/grassley-tells-garland-of-12-sources-with-potential-dirt-on-hunter-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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Pressed about the IRS whistleblower and his testimony during a news conference last week, Garland said his statement under oath remains true. “Yes, it’s still the case,” <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyCaller/status/1653490258544062464" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garland said</a>. “I stand by my testimony and I refer you to the U.S. attorney for the district of Delaware, who is in charge of this case and capable of making any decisions that he feels are appropriate.&#8221;
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Chris Clark, has told news outlets the IRS official &#8220;appears&#8221; to have committed a crime. &#8220;It is a felony for an IRS agent to improperly disclose information about an ongoing tax investigation,&#8221; Clark said in a statement reported by <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/irs-agent-wants-whistleblower-protections-discuss-hunter-biden-probe-rcna80564" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>.
Lytle told Fox News the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/hunter-biden-investigation-irs-whistleblower-lawyer-condemns-attacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement was &#8220;unfortunate&#8221;</a> but stressed that his client is not backing down. &#8220;Attacks like this are kind of what he was worried about, but he wants to come forward and tell the truth,&#8221; he said.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) is urging the Justice Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/comer-urges-feds-not-to-indict-hunter-biden-before-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not to indict Hunter Biden</a> until Republicans hold a press conference to present evidence showing how a &#8220;web&#8221; of LLCs is being used by foreign adversaries to improperly pay members of the Biden family in exchange for favors. The press conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Hunter Biden

Attorneys For IRS Whistleblower In Hunter Biden Probe Meet With Congress

Congress

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Politics

According to a new report from a watchdog group, the United States <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Internal Revenue Service</a> (IRS) has spent at least $10 million on weapons, ammunition, and other tactical gear since 2020.
The <a href="https://www.openthebooks.com/the-militarization-of-federal-bureaucracy---updated-statistics-through-march-31-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> was compiled by watchdog organization Open the Books — which tracks government spending — and contains data through the end of March. &#8220;The Militarization of Federal Bureaucracy &#8211; Updated Statistics Through March 31, 2023&#8221; was released to the public last Thursday.
According to the report, the federal tax agency spent more than $5 million just in 2021 — and since 2020, $2.3 million has gone to pay for ammunition; $474,000 has gone to Smith &amp; Wesson rifles; and $463,000 has gone to Beretta 1301 tactical shotguns.
In addition, the IRS has dumped more than $1 million dollars into defensive tactical gear — $243,000 for body armor vests and $1.2 million for ballistic shields.
Another $1.3 million was earmarked for “various other gear for criminal investigation agents” — and the IRS has also stockpiled helmets, tactical lighting, holsters, and more.
The report from Open the Books comes in the wake of President Joe Biden’s multi-billion dollar Inflation Reduction Act — which would divert billions to the IRS to hire more agents.
The IRS asks that applicants <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/04/28/irs-puts-out-fresh-job-ad-for-hundreds-of-armed-agents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be willing</a> to “carry a firearm; must be prepared to protect him/herself or others from physical attacks at any time and without warning and use firearms in life-threatening situations; must be willing to use force up to and including the use of deadly force.”
According to officials, IRS special agents carry firearms because they are expected to manage cases involving organized crime and drug trafficking.
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Prior to 2020, according to Open the Books, the IRS had already stocked up on weapons and tactical gear and millions of rounds of ammunition, spending over $30 million (adjusted for inflation) since 2006 on such items.
Prior to its most recent spending, the agency owned more than 4000 firearms — ranging from pump action shotguns to semi-automatic rifles to sub-machine guns.

In this photo illustration, the homepage of the Internal

In The Last 3 Years Alone, IRS Has Dropped $10 Million On Weapons, Ammo, And Tactical Gear

Federal Government

General

U.S.

weapons

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a> is attempting to hire individuals qualified to wield <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/guns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">firearms</a> for the tax collection agency’s Criminal Unit as enforcement activities are expected to increase amid a recent funding windfall.
Candidates for the special agent position, which is the only job at the IRS where employees are permitted to carry guns, will be expected to combine their “accounting skills with law enforcement skills to investigate financial crimes,” according to a <a href="https://www.jobs.irs.gov/resources/job-descriptions/irs-criminal-investigation-special-agent" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posting</a> on the IRS website. Individuals interested in the job must be “legally allowed to carry a firearm” and “maintain a level of fitness necessary to effectively respond to life-threatening situations on the job.”
Those who work for the Criminal Unit must also be able to “use firearms in life-threatening situations” to the point of “deadly force.” There are roughly 360 vacancies for the position in some 250 locations across the United States, according to the job application <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/job/706868400#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">link</a>, which said that salaries for the position range between $53,900 and $94,200.
The job posting from the IRS occurs as the agency works to double its headcount over the next decade as a result of the $80 billion <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">windfall</a> allocated through the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRS will hire for the position, in which staff members must work at least 50 hours each week and be available at all hours of the day, through the end of the year.
Biden administration officials have claimed over the past several months that the increased funds will enable IRS staff to more easily <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-a-strong-irs-is-critical-to-the-economic-success-of-this-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assist</a> individuals and businesses attempting to properly file their taxes. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration nevertheless revealed in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the agency’s budget for enforcement activities will increase 69% over the next decade while the budget for taxpayer services will increase 9%.
House Republicans successfully <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-republican-house-votes-to-repeal-the-democrats-army-of-87000-irs-agents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> at the outset of the new Congress to nix the $80 billion allocation, although the repeal is unlikely to pass in the evenly divided Senate and would almost certainly be vetoed by President Joe Biden.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has vowed that the new resources will not be utilized to increase audit rates for households earning less than $400,000 per year “relative to historical levels.” She <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-vows-irs-audits-wont-rise-for-middle-income-americans-but-theres-a-catch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> to clarify that “historical levels” of enforcement were far higher as recently as one decade ago: audit rates for Americans earning between $25,000 and $200,000 decreased 76% between 2010 and 2019, according to <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104960.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Government Accountability Office.
The possibility of increased audits for middle-income households also comes as total tax refunds for households are slated to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/happy-tax-day-americans-are-receiving-much-lower-tax-refunds-this-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decrease</a> from $222 billion last year to $199 billion this year. Parents are no longer able to receive the advance child tax credit, an advance on the child tax credits formerly enacted by the American Rescue Plan, while taxpayers who did not receive stimulus checks will no longer be able to claim a recovery rebate credit.
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The federal budget proposal released by the White House last month would likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/is-this-a-joke-bidens-budget-increases-irs-funding-by-43-billion-only-months-after-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">add</a> another $43 billion windfall to the IRS. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a bloc of conservative Republicans, initially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-freedom-caucus-chairman-responds-as-white-house-lobs-spurious-claims-at-spending-cut-proposal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened</a> to consider voting on raising the debt ceiling contingent upon the repeal of the $80 billion allocation provided to the agency last year.

Officer with Gun

IRS Seeks To Hire Agents With Guns In All 50 States

IRS Wants To Hire Hundreds Of Agents With Firearms In Every State

Economy

firearms

Law Enforcement

Hunter Biden&#8217;s attorneys reportedly met with federal prosecutors on Wednesday to discuss potential forthcoming criminal charges against the president&#8217;s son.
CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-justice-department-meeting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the attorneys met with the Department of Justice officials representing the tax division and U.S. attorney for Delaware David Weiss, a Trump-era prosecutor who is overseeing the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.
“In the ordinary course, in a federal criminal tax case, and pursuant to policy and practice, defense attorneys get a meeting for the asking,&#8221; <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/hunter-bidens-legal-team-meets-225604375.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Chuck Rosenberg, an NBC News legal analyst and former U.S. attorney. &#8220;They typically use that meeting to try to persuade Justice Department prosecutors not to charge their client, often to no avail.&#8221;
NBC News <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-prosecutors-weighing-4-criminal-charges-against-hunter-biden-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> late last week that federal prosecutors were weighing charging Hunter Biden with four crimes, including a felony tax evasion charge, a potential felony charge related to the purchase of a firearm, and two misdemeanor charges for failing to file taxes.
Two senior law enforcement officials told the publication that there was “growing frustration” inside the FBI that the president’s son has not been charged because the bureau finished most of its work a year ago and the IRS finished its investigation more than a year ago.
An IRS agent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-whistleblower-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-misconduct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">alleged</a> last week that the federal government’s criminal investigation into Hunter Biden is being corrupted by lies and politics.
The allegations appeared in a letter that the agent’s lawyer, Mark Lytle, sent to leaders of both parties in Congress. Though the letter only says the agent is overseeing the “ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject,” sources confirmed to The Wall Street Journal the investigation into Hunter Biden is the focus of the matter.
The letter identifies the client as an “IRS criminal supervisory special agent” who has already made “legally protected disclosures internally at the IRS, through counsel to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and to the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General.” Now this IRS agent wants to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress despite “serious risks of retaliation,” the letter says.
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Disclosures made to the government watchdogs “contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee,” “involve failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case,” and “detail examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected,” according to the letter.
The letter adds: “Some of the protected disclosures contain information that is restricted by statute from unauthorized disclosure to protect taxpayer and tax return information.”
FBI and IRS investigators have been looking into his foreign business dealings, tax affairs, and more. The Washington Post reported in October that federal agents believed they had sufficient evidence to charge the younger Biden with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Hunter Biden’s Lawyers Meet With Federal Prosecutors To Discuss Potential Forthcoming Charges: Report

Crime

U.S. prosecutors are considering hitting President Joe Biden&#8217;s son, Hunter Biden, with a felony tax evasion charge, a potential felony charge related to the purchase of a firearm, and two misdemeanor charges for failing to file taxes, two sources said <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/federal-prosecutors-hunter-biden-taxes-gun-charge-rcna80692">according</a> to NBC News.
Two senior law enforcement officials told the publication that there was &#8220;growing frustration&#8221; inside the FBI that the president&#8217;s son has not been charged because the Bureau finished most of its work a year ago and the IRS finished its investigation more than a year ago.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, will be the person who decides whether charges are brought against Hunter Biden. No decision has been made, the report said.
An IRS agent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-whistleblower-alleges-hunter-biden-probe-misconduct">alleged</a> this week that the federal government’s criminal investigation into Hunter Biden is being corrupted by lies and politics.
The allegations appeared Wednesday in a letter that the agent’s lawyer, Mark Lytle, sent to leaders of both parties in Congress. Though the letter only says the agent is overseeing the “ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject,” sources confirmed to The Wall Street Journal the investigation into Hunter Biden is the focus of the matter.
The letter identifies the client as an “IRS criminal supervisory special agent” who has already made “legally protected disclosures internally at the IRS, through counsel to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and to the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General.” Now this IRS agent wants to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress despite “serious risks of retaliation,” the letter says.
Disclosures made to the government watchdogs “contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee,” “involve failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case,” and “detail examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected,” according to the letter.
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The letter adds: “Some of the protected disclosures contain information that is restricted by statute from unauthorized disclosure to protect taxpayer and tax return information.”
FBI and IRS investigators have been looking into his foreign business dealings, tax affairs, and more. The Washington Post reported in October that federal agents believed they had sufficient evidence to charge the younger Biden with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.

Federal Prosecutors Weighing 4 Criminal Charges Against Hunter Biden: Report

Whistleblowers

An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Internal Revenue Service</a> (IRS) agent claims the federal government&#8217;s criminal investigation into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hunter-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hunter Biden</a> is being corrupted by lies and politics.
The allegations appeared Wednesday <a href="https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2023-04/Letter%20to%20Congress.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a letter</a> that the agent&#8217;s lawyer, Mark Lytle, sent to leaders of both parties in Congress. Though the letter only says the agent is overseeing the &#8220;ongoing and sensitive investigation of a high-profile, controversial subject,&#8221; sources <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/irs-whistleblower-says-u-s-is-mishandling-hunter-biden-probe-7cd127f2?st=8bfedqlosk4410f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed to The Wall Street Journal</a> the investigation into Hunter Biden is the focus of the matter.
The letter identifies the client as an “IRS criminal supervisory special agent&#8221; who has already made &#8220;legally protected disclosures internally at the IRS, through counsel to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and to the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General.&#8221; Now this IRS agent wants to make protected whistleblower disclosures to Congress despite &#8220;serious risks of retaliation,&#8221; the letter says.
Disclosures made to the government watchdogs &#8220;contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee,&#8221; &#8220;involve failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case,&#8221; and &#8220;detail examples of preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols that would normally be followed by career law enforcement professionals in similar circumstances if the subject were not politically connected,&#8221; according to the letter.
The letter adds: &#8220;Some of the protected disclosures contain information that is restricted by statute from unauthorized disclosure to protect taxpayer and tax return information.&#8221;
The criminal investigation into Hunter Biden, the adult son of President Joe Biden, is being led by Delaware&#8217;s U.S. Attorney David Weiss. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/06/politics/hunter-biden-investigation-federal-prosecutors-weighing-charges/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI and IRS</a> investigators have been looking into his foreign business dealings, tax affairs, and more. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/10/06/hunter-biden-tax-gun-charges/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post reported</a> in October that federal agents believed they had sufficient evidence to charge the younger Biden with tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, but a decision to file charges would be left up to Weiss.
Hunter Biden, who revealed the existence of that years-long inquiry only after the 2020 election, has said he expects to be cleared of wrongdoing.
Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke briefly about the inquiry during congressional testimony early last month. &#8220;I pledged not to interfere with that investigation and I have carried through on my pledge,&#8221; Garland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/grassley-tells-garland-of-12-sources-with-potential-dirt-on-hunter-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified under oath</a> to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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Republicans in Congress are conducting their own investigations into the Biden family, raising concerns about corruption extending beyond Hunter, while Democrats have generally dismissed their efforts as politically motivated. On the House side, the Oversight Committee has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-raise-alarm-about-biden-family-after-treasury-visit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gained access to suspicious activity reports (SARs)</a>, which financial institutions can use to flag possible criminal behavior, for members of the Biden family and their associates’ business transactions.
In a statement <a href="https://twitter.com/CBS_Herridge/status/1648810061211353090" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported by CBS News</a> in response to the IRS whistleblower letter, House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said the Biden administration &#8220;may be obstructing justice by blocking efforts to charge Hunter Biden for tax violations.&#8221;

IRS Whistleblower Alleges Hunter Biden Probe Misconduct

Americans can expect lower <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax</a> returns this year, a phenomenon which comes as <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation</a> and broader economic volatility continue to rattle household finances.
The average tax refund amount issued by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a> is $2,878 this year, according to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/filing-season-statistics-for-week-ending-april-7-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the tax enforcement agency posted earlier this month, which marks a 9.3% decrease from the $3,175 average tax refund seen last year. The total amount of refunds provided to taxpayers likewise fell from $222 billion last year to $199 billion this year.
The IRS indeed <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-kicks-off-2023-tax-filing-season-with-returns-due-april-18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> earlier this year that “many taxpayers may find their refunds somewhat lower” as various tax law changes enter into effect. Parents are no longer able to receive the advance child tax credit, an advance on the child tax credits formerly enacted by the American Rescue Plan, while taxpayers who did not receive stimulus checks will no longer be able to claim a recovery rebate credit.
“It’s reasonable to expect that many people will receive smaller tax refunds this year,” Bankrate Senior Industry Analyst Ted Rossman said in a <a href="https://www.bankrate.com/taxes/tax-return-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> last month. “That’s mostly because many pandemic-related tax breaks have expired: stimulus payments, the expanded child tax credit and the expanded child and dependent care credit, to name a few.”
Bankrate found in a recent survey that 45% of tax filers expected a refund this year, while 19% expected to owe the government and 16% expected to break even. Some 43% of respondents consider the refunds “very important” to their financial situations, while 32% consider them “somewhat important.”
Several additional polls over the past several months have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-americans-say-they-are-worse-off-financially-than-any-other-time-since-the-great-recession" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shown</a> that rising costs of living, which come as a result of record inflation, are producing a sense of economic pessimism. Headline inflation was charted at 5.0% in March 2023, according to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/headline-inflation-edges-downward-even-as-costs-for-many-key-items-continue-to-soar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a decline from the 9.1% rate charted in June 2022. Real wages, which consider the effect of inflation on nominal pay increases, fell 1.3% year-over-year as of March 2023, according to more <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/realer.nr0.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The present tax season, which requires most filers to submit their returns on April 18, is the first since the Inflation Reduction Act provided the IRS with an $80 billion windfall to double the size of its workforce. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1333" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> before the House Ways and Means Committee last month that the funds resulted in taxpayers receiving “drastically improved customer service” because staffers were equipped to answer “hundreds of thousands more phone calls during this filing season than at this time last year.”
Yellen likewise vowed that the funds would not be used to increase audit rates for American households earning less than $400,000 per year “relative to historical levels.” She <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-vows-irs-audits-wont-rise-for-middle-income-americans-but-theres-a-catch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> to clarify that “historical levels” of enforcement were far higher as recently as one decade ago: audit rates for Americans earning between $25,000 and $200,000 declined 76% between 2010 and 2019, according to <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104960.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Government Accountability Office.
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Various proposals from the IRS which appear to be targeted toward average households rather than high earners have raised concerns that the newly enlarged agency will implement more intense scrutiny for all taxpayers. One proposed rule would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-moves-to-go-after-workers-tips-as-biden-promises-middle-class-wont-be-taxed-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase</a> reporting compliance for individuals who earn tips, while another would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-christmas-miracle-irs-delays-600-reporting-rule-for-paypal-and-venmo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">require</a> Americans to report transactions above $600 made with payment settlement organizations such as PayPal and Venmo.

IRS Headquarters

Happy Tax Day: Americans Are Receiving Much Lower Tax Refunds This Year

Americans Are Receiving Significantly Lower IRS Refunds This Year

Inflation

Taxes

Matt Taibbi, an independent journalist who reported on collusion between government agencies and former executives of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>, was visited by an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a> official on the same day he testified before Congress about the weaponization of the federal government.
Several installments of the Twitter Files, a set of internal documents Twitter CEO <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> provided to Taibbi and other handpicked reporters, indicate that the platform had multiple ways of silencing conservatives, such as shadow bans and outright suspensions. IRS agents appeared at Taibbi’s residence in New Jersey on March 9, the same day he testified before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
The agent left a note instructing him to call the agency four days later; Taibbi was informed during the call that his 2018 and 2021 tax returns were rejected over identity theft concerns.
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) sent a letter on Monday, which was <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/irs-matt-taibbi-twitter-files-jim-jordan-daniel-werfel-lina-khan-84ee518" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seen</a> by the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel demanding information about the home visit.
Taibbi provided the House Judiciary Committee with documents proving his IRS return from 2018 had been electronically accepted; the agency and his accountants had not told him about any concerns with the filing over the past five years. The return from 2021 was rejected, refiled, and then rejected for a second time. Taibbi said the issue with the return was not “monetary.”
Dealing with the IRS can be a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-joe-bidens-new-irs-army-will-impact-your-taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">difficult</a> and time-consuming process. Worries about increased audit rates have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">emerged</a> over the past several months after the Inflation Reduction Act provided the agency with an $80 billion windfall to double the size of its workforce.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board noted that the IRS typically starts with a letter or a request for information from the taxpayer rather than a surprise house call.
Michael Shellenberger, another independent journalist behind the Twitter Files initiative who testified before lawmakers on March 9, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1640504232724799492" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quipped</a> on social media that the sudden IRS visit was an “amazing coincidence.” Taibbi <a href="https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1640512613317591040" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he would not comment on the matter pending an answer to the letter, although he added that he is “not worried” for himself.
Various <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-new-twitter-files-shows-how-federal-state-governments-monitor-americans-social-media-posts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">editions</a> of the Twitter Files published by Taibbi indicate federal agencies, particularly the FBI, contacted Twitter about the censorship of so many posts that employees congratulated each other in internal company communications for the “monumental undertaking” of reviewing them. “Federal intelligence and law enforcement reach into Twitter included the Department of Homeland Security, which partnered with security contractors and think tanks to pressure Twitter to moderate content,” Taibbi recounted in one report.
Democratic lawmakers on the subcommittee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-house-dems-try-to-bully-twitter-files-journos-into-revealing-sources-fail-miserably" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Taibbi and Shellenberger of improperly colluding with Musk to advance the entrepreneur’s interests, demanding they provide information about their sources, which is broadly considered a violation of the right to freedom of the press.
Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI) asked for the name of the “individual that gave you permission to access the emails,” while Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) asked for the date on which Musk purportedly approached the journalists regarding the initiative. Jordan accused his colleagues of attempting to pressure the reporters, calling the effort “a violation of the First Amendment.”

Build Presents Alex Gibney, Blair Foster & Matt Taibbi Discussing “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge”

IRS Agent Visited The Home Of ‘Twitter Files’ Journalist On The Same Day He Testified About Government Weaponization

IRS Agent Visited The Home Of Journalist Matt Taibbi On The Same Day He Testified About Government Weaponization

Elon Musk

Media

Social Media Censorship

Twitter

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">budget</a> proposal submitted by the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">White House</a> on Thursday would add roughly $43 billion in funding to the Internal Revenue Service, also known as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a>, months after the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax</a> enforcement agency received $80 billion through the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/inflation-reduction-act" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inflation Reduction Act</a>.
Beyond the $14.1 billion allocated to the IRS, which marks a 15% increase from the previous year, the budget would provide another $29.1 billion in “mandatory funding for enforcement and operations,” according to a <a href="https://waysandmeans.house.gov/never-enough-biden-budget-seeks-absurd-43-2-billion-for-irs-despite-receiving-unprecedented-80-billion-windfall-just-last-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> from the House Ways and Means Committee. The proposed allocation comes after the IRS received an $80 billion windfall through the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden in August.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1333" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> before the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday that the funds from the Inflation Reduction Act have resulted in taxpayers receiving “drastically improved customer service” because staffers were equipped to answer “hundreds of thousands more phone calls during this filing season than at this time last year.” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) meanwhile pressed the official over the increased tax enforcement allocation.
“I have to ask: Is this a joke? After a two-year inflation crisis that has cost American workers more than two months of pay, families need every penny they can get,” he said in opening remarks provided to The Daily Wire.
Yellen has previously vowed that the funds from the Inflation Reduction Act would not be used to increase audit rates for households earning less than $400,000 per year “relative to historical levels.” She has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-vows-irs-audits-wont-rise-for-middle-income-americans-but-theres-a-catch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> to clarify that “historical levels” of enforcement were far higher as recently as one decade ago: audit rates for households earning between $25,000 and $200,000 declined 76% between 2010 and 2019, according to <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104960.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Government Accountability Office.
Officials have also claimed that the funds will enable IRS staff to more easily <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-a-strong-irs-is-critical-to-the-economic-success-of-this-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assist</a> individuals and businesses attempting to properly file their taxes. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration nevertheless said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the budget for enforcement activities will increase 69% over the next decade while the budget for taxpayer services will increase 9%.
Biden administration officials contend that the more stringent tax enforcement enabled by the additional IRS funds would improve the nation’s fiscal health. The $43 billion allocated to the IRS would decrease the deficit by $134 billion over the next decade.
The overall budget proposal, which suggests an increase in government spending from $5.8 trillion to $6.9 trillion, is also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-taxes-and-more-spending-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-president-bidens-newest-budget" target="_blank" rel="noopener">marked</a> by a number of tax hikes on wealthy individuals and businesses. Households with more than $100 million in wealth would be subjected to a 25% minimum tax, while the top marginal tax rate would also be increased to 39.6% from the current 37% rate. Businesses would see an increase in the corporate tax to 28%, which would split the difference between the current 21% rate and the previous 35% rate that was in effect before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
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The additional $43 billion for the IRS is unlikely to pass the House of Representatives, which recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-republican-house-votes-to-repeal-the-democrats-army-of-87000-irs-agents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> to repeal the $80 billion offered to the IRS by the Inflation Reduction Act. Senior Republican officials have likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dead-on-arrival-republicans-slam-biden-budgets-higher-taxes-and-spending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that they would oppose the budget proposal.
“President Biden just delivered his budget to Congress, and it is completely unserious. He proposes trillions in new taxes that you and your family will pay directly or through higher costs,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) remarked. “Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”

President Biden Returns To The White House From Pennsylvania

‘Is This A Joke?’: Biden’s Budget Increases IRS Funding By $43 Billion Only Months After $80 Billion Windfall

Biden's Budget Increases IRS Funding By $43 Billion Only Months After $80 Billion Windfall

Biden Administration

Budget

Inflation Reduction Act

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Internal Revenue Service</a> released a proposed revenue procedure on Monday which would entail <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/business" target="_blank" rel="noopener">employers</a> in the service industry voluntarily reporting their workers’ tips to the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax</a> agency.
The Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement initiative, for which the IRS is soliciting feedback through early May, would be “designed to take advantage of advancements in point-of-sale, time and attendance systems, and electronic payment settlement methods to improve tip reporting compliance,” according to a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-introduces-new-service-industry-tip-reporting-program" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notice</a> from the agency. The program would exist to decrease “administrative burdens” on taxpayers and IRS administrators.
Businesses involved with the initiative would submit an annual report on tips to the IRS after each calendar year; participants would thereby “receive protection from liability under the rules that define tips as part of an employee&#8217;s pay for calendar years in which they remain compliant with program requirements.” Individuals who work in restaurants, hotels, salons, and other service-oriented businesses are already <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tip-income-is-taxable-and-must-be-reported#:~:text=Tip%20income%20is%20taxable%20and%20must%20be%20reported%20%7C%20Internal%20Revenue%20Service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">required</a> to keep a daily record of their tips and pay taxes on the earnings to the IRS.
The proposed rule comes after the IRS received an $80 billion windfall through the Inflation Reduction Act, permitting the agency to double its workforce. During his State of the Union <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">address</a> on Tuesday, President Joe Biden repeated his promise that the middle class would not pay more taxes as he introduced a proposal for a billionaires tax.
“Under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in taxes,” the commander-in-chief declared. “Nobody. Not one penny.”
The tip reporting initiative also follows an IRS proposal that would require Americans to report transactions above $600 made through payment settlement companies such as PayPal and Venmo. Following public backlash, the agency later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-christmas-miracle-irs-delays-600-reporting-rule-for-paypal-and-venmo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a “transition period” for the implementation of the rule, which will still enter into effect beginning in the 2023 tax year.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has likewise vowed that the funds from the Inflation Reduction Act would not be used to increase audit rates for American households earning less than $400,000 per year “relative to historical levels.” She <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-vows-irs-audits-wont-rise-for-middle-income-americans-but-theres-a-catch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> to clarify that “historical levels” of enforcement were far higher as recently as one decade ago: audit rates for Americans earning between $25,000 and $200,000 declined 76% between 2010 and 2019, according to <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104960.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Government Accountability Office.
Officials have also repeatedly stated that the funding would enable IRS staff to more easily <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-a-strong-irs-is-critical-to-the-economic-success-of-this-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assist</a> individuals and businesses seeking to file their taxes. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration nevertheless said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the agency’s budget for enforcement activities will increase 69% over the next decade, while the budget for taxpayer services will increase 9%.
The report also showed that IRS officials “have not yet finalized what constituted the $400,000 income level or what historic audit level will be used for its metrics,” indicating that such matters are “still being discussed between the IRS and the Treasury Department.” The agency insisted there is not “an immediate risk” of violating the commitment because “employee attrition and hiring challenges will limit its ability to conduct more audits.”

President Biden Delivers State Of The Union Address

IRS Moves To Go After Workers’ Tips As Biden Promises Middle Class Won’t Be Taxed More

IRS Moves To Go After Workers' Tips

Jobs

A new study found that black <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tax</a> filers are several times more likely to be audited by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a> than other tax filers, a revelation that comes as the agency prepares to double headcount and receive a deluge of funds to increase audit activity.
Stanford University law professor Daniel Ho partnered with other researchers, as well as economists in the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Analysis, to examine more than 148 million tax returns. Though filers do not identify their race on their returns, the team was able to predict the probability that a given filer identified as black based on geography and their first and last names. The <a href="https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/measuring-and-mitigating-racial-disparities-tax-audits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> concluded that black filers are between 2.9 and 4.7 times more likely to experience audits than non-black counterparts.
“The IRS should drill down to understand and modify its existing audit selection methods to mitigate the disparity we’ve documented,” Ho said in a <a href="https://law.stanford.edu/press/irs-disproportionately-audits-black-taxpayers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>. “And we’ve shown they can do that without necessarily sacrificing tax revenue.”
Audits from the agency disproportionately impact taxpayers who collect the Earned Income Tax Credit, which offers tax breaks to low and moderate income households. Black filers accounted for 21% of EITC claims but were impacted by 43% of the EITC audits.
Some 94% of audits among EITC claimants occurred via correspondence audit, which the IRS executes by mail, rather than a field audit, which requires the IRS to use more extensive resources. The agency feeds a “completely secret” algorithm with information from the Dependent Database to automatically generate audit letters to EITC claimants.
“Compared with labor-intensive field audits, correspondence audits of EITC claimants are easy to trigger, cost very little, and require minimal effort by IRS personnel,” the news release continued. “The burden of correspondence audits on EITC claimants is more likely to fall on lower income individuals whose tax returns are less complex and less likely to lead to litigation.”
Considering the magnitude of underreported income rather than the likelihood of underreported income would have resulted in more non-black filers receiving audits than black filers, according to the researchers. Evelyn Smith, a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan who aided with the research, claimed that “the choice to focus on whether there is underreporting, as opposed to magnitude of underreporting, is connected to broader structural sources of economic inequality and racial justice.”
Whether the disparity in audit rates is ultimately attributable to purported inequities, the study comes as the IRS prepares to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expand</a> operations using $80 billion provided by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration recently noted that the agency’s budget for enforcement activity will increase 69% over the next decade, while the budget for taxpayer services will increase 9%.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has vowed that the resources will not be utilized to increase audit rates for American households earning less than $400,000 per year “relative to historical levels.” She <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-vows-irs-audits-wont-rise-for-middle-income-americans-but-theres-a-catch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed</a> to clarify that “historical levels” of enforcement were far higher as recently as one decade ago: audit rates for Americans earning between $25,000 and $200,000 decreased 76% between 2010 and 2019, according to <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104960.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Government Accountability Office.

account

As IRS Expands, Study Shows The Agency Audits Black People At Least Thrice As Much As Other Racial Groups 

IRS Audits Black People At Least Thrice As Much As Other Racial Groups 

Racial Bias

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/house-republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Republican</a> lawmakers proposed a bill to replace the income, payroll, and estate <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/taxes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taxes</a> with a national sales tax while abolishing the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/internal-revenue-service-irs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRS</a>.
The Fair Tax Act, introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), is an attempt to simplify the tax code and the tax collection system. Similar legislation was first proposed in 1999 by former Rep. John Linder (R-GA); the <a href="https://buddycarter.house.gov/uploadedfiles/text_fairtax_act_118th.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">current iteration</a> of the bill is also sponsored by House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-PA), as well as lawmakers such as Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL).
“As a former small business owner, I understand the unnecessary burden our failing income tax system has on Americans,” Duncan said in a <a href="https://buddycarter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=10824" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “The Fair Tax Act eliminates the tax code, replaces the income tax with a sales tax, and abolishes the abusive Internal Revenue Service. If enacted, this will invigorate the American taxpayer and help more Americans achieve the American Dream.”
The 23% national sales tax established by the bill would enter into effect by 2025. The federal income tax, created by the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913, currently accounts for 49% of total federal revenues, according to <a href="https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/government-revenue/#:~:text=Sources%20of%20Federal%20Revenue&amp;text=Additional%20sources%20of%20tax%20revenue,taxes%20made%20up%20another%2035%25." target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Treasury Department. Social Security and Medicare taxes constitute 35% of revenues, while corporate taxes provide 10% of revenues.
The Fair Tax Act would attempt to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment and sunset the national sales tax if the repeal is unsuccessful within a seven-year period.
The new legislation comes after President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act approved $80 billion for the IRS. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the funding will enable staff to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-a-strong-irs-is-critical-to-the-economic-success-of-this-country" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more easily assist</a> individuals and businesses seeking to file their taxes; a <a href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2023-01/2023ier003fr.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, however, indicated that the agency has not yet <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irs-has-not-yet-finalized-how-middle-class-will-be-affected-by-80-billion-windfall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided</a> how the funds will impact audit rates for middle-income taxpayers.
Critics of the national sales tax note the regressive nature of the policy. While the current federal income tax system is progressive, meaning that individuals tend to pay more as their income rises, sales taxes take a larger share of low-income households’ salaries since they utilize a larger portion of their wages for expenses, according to an <a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/who-bears-burden-national-retail-sales-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the Tax Policy Center.
Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1617265849986949124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1617265849986949124%7Ctwgr%5Ee5373506b4fcd5c42f3ac94d5174ba4d0ace5789%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fworld%2Fus-news%2F2023%2F01%2F23%2Fwhat-is-the-30-sales-tax-republicans-are-pushing%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the proposal by asserting that the national sales tax would increase prices on “everything from groceries and gas to food and medicine.” His post neglected to mention that the bill would also repeal the income, payroll, and estate taxes while offering a number of refunds and rebates to families. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) likewise failed to mention the repeal of the current tax regime when she <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWarren/status/1616449771975151616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on social media that “it’s not fair to impose taxes on working people, while giving massive tax breaks to the ultra-rich.”
Republicans have often called for the abolition of the IRS and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-republican-house-votes-to-repeal-the-democrats-army-of-87000-irs-agents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> earlier this month to reverse the windfall offered to the agency by the Inflation Reduction Act. “This bill will eliminate the need for the department entirely by simplifying the tax code with provisions that work for the American people and encourage growth and innovation,” Carter said in the press release. “Armed, unelected bureaucrats should not have more power over your paycheck than you do.”

Rep. Buddy Carter

Republicans Propose Bill To Replace Income, Payroll Taxes With National Sales Tax, Abolish IRS

Republicans Propose Tax System Overhaul

Elizabeth Warren

House Republicans

Joe Biden

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