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submitted 2 years ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/news@lemmy.world

IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said that with a boost in federal funding and the help of artificial intelligence tools, the agency has new means of targeting wealthy people who have “cut corners” on their taxes.

“If you pay your taxes on time it should be particularly frustrating when you see that wealthy filers are not,” Werfel told reporters in a call previewing the announcement. He said 1,600 millionaires who owe at least $250,000 each in back taxes and 75 large business partnerships that have assets of roughly $10 billion on average are targeted for the new “compliance efforts.”

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[-] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 97 points 2 years ago

Conservative SCOTUS ruling making taxation of the wealthy unconstitutional in 3... 2...

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 40 points 2 years ago

I wonder, given the whole equal protection thing….

Could we sue the IRS for damages? I mean, this is the fed government’s revenue. Them running out of money…. And running up the debt affects us negatively….

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

Silly rabbit; thinks we don't live in oligarchies masquerading as democracies.

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[-] Saneless@lemmy.world 88 points 2 years ago

Can't wait for people in red states making <$50k to be really mad about this for some reason

[-] Plopp@lemmy.world 38 points 2 years ago

For some reason? They're just looking out for their future self. Any day now they too will be millionaires. Any day...

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[-] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago

It's just millionaires they are going after. If you get upset about this, clearly you don't think you have what it takes to become a billionaire.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 77 points 2 years ago

Token victims chosen to placate the masses.

Millionaires are still fucking peasants to the ruling class.

[-] wagoner@infosec.pub 58 points 2 years ago

There's surely a name for when people react with disdain to even the slightest move in the right direction.

"Should have done it earlier" "Not enough" "It'll probably get shot down in court" "Why bother"

[-] elscallr@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago

Letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.

[-] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 8 points 2 years ago

"Doomer" is a recent aphorism. It's deeply self defeating, and I'm sure at least partly pushed on purpose keep people weak and compliant.

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[-] Shikadi@lemmy.world 77 points 2 years ago

Good but can we also do the billionaires?

[-] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 51 points 2 years ago

No. They're just going to do it to people who have exactly 1 million dollars.

[-] RedditWanderer@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago

They won't go after those from fear or being defunded further..

Conservative's are agreeing to go after millionaires just to anger their base, the poor who think they'd be millionaires if it wasn't for all this "socialism".

[-] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 58 points 2 years ago

Grover Norquist, who heads the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, said the IRS’ plan to pursue high wealth individuals does not preclude the IRS from eventually pursuing middle-income Americans for audits down the road.

Lol love the complete lack of evidence with just a big ol dose of non sequiter fear-mongering, they MIGHT come for you next!!

[-] WheeGeetheCat@sh.itjust.works 39 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

how is it any different from now, when they come after us and NOT the rich? Like we never stopped getting policed that was rich privilege only, and only because of the complicated tax structures that open up to you once you start a business that has some cash throughput

total fear-mongering like you say

[-] wrath-sedan@kbin.social 13 points 2 years ago

Yeah the tax structure already favors the wealthy in many ways, so the idea that more enforcement of existing laws on the higher end is somehow hurting the middle class is just laughable.

[-] utopianfiat@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

They were coming for middle class people because we can't afford audit defense, or massive bullshit campaigns like "omg they're targeting conservatives!!"

[-] HoustonHenry@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

They targeted the poorest of us, because they are severely underfunded, the IRS cant afford extended litigation. They poor can't afford to fight back, you're 100% right

[-] CafecitoHippo@lemm.ee 26 points 2 years ago

Okay. Audit me. I have W-2 wages and take a standard deduction. Like why are every day people afraid of being audited.

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[-] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 17 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I love that Republicans seem to have fully embraced a fear campaign based in the idea that if the rich can be forced to obey the law that yOu mIghT bE nExT as though they aren't also the people who gave police broad, sweeping powers to kick in our doors for any or no reason, to seize our money and then make us prove that we didn't commit crimes to get it, to engage in warrantless mass surveillance, to establish huge swaths of America where the 4th amendment just doesn't count if you "look like an illegal immigrant", to establish fetus checkpoints at state borders, to make a dog's opinion legally admissible in court if and only if that dog thinks you've committed a crime, and they're trying to let the police into your bedroom to make sure you're fucking correctly (in a cishet christian way).

We who have been overpoliced our entire lives know what they mean when they say "they might come for you next". They mean that the police might overstep their bounds as thieftakers and thugs to keep the minorities in line and start coming for Real Americans (cishet white men) just because of a few little felonies.

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[-] lazyvar@programming.dev 10 points 2 years ago

Love the fear mongering for something that A) already happens, B) shouldn't be an issue for people that are in the up and up and C) should be music to the ears of members of the "law and order" party.

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[-] Leviathan@lemmy.world 51 points 2 years ago

In totally unrelated news: the GOP has announced war on the IRS; "too long have they preyed upon this nation's most vulnerable!".

[-] xT1TANx@lemmy.world 38 points 2 years ago

why exactly isn't it normal to get taxes from the rich?

[-] MrSqueezles@lemm.ee 29 points 2 years ago

I heard an interview about this new effort. IRS agents used to be rewarded by case count. It's much easier to audit people who earn salaries because you know exactly what they earned from employers' reports. Rich people often have many sources of income that take time to investigate. Agents audit normal folks because it's easy while the rich lie and get away with it.

The goal with this effort has been to change the incentive structure for agents to get the most money.

[-] nucleative@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago

The more money a person makes, the more incentive and capability they have to design and structure their income, especially if they are a business owner or have customers overseas, and thus they have more opportunities to avoid doing the things that cause one to be taxed.

Also some are cheaters and just don't pay what they owe.

[-] legios@aussie.zone 7 points 2 years ago

It also takes longer to audit people who are trying to screw with the system so it's sometimes just "Eh too hard" which is a bad reason to not do it...

[-] nucleative@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Especially if it's going to be a small ROI for the IRS.

I know in tax planning for high net worth individuals and businesses there is often a question about how the penalty (downside of being found to owe more tax) relates to the upside of just not paying the tax. For matters that aren't so clear or where the tax code can be interpreted many ways - it often comes down to the decision maker's risk tolerance.

So it's smart for the IRS to avoid cases where a hundred hour audit gets them another $2k vs litigating a $20m underpayment over a grey area.

[-] Naura@startrek.website 30 points 2 years ago

Compliance means that if you made a mistake, the IRS will give you a chance to correct it. And if you decide not to fix it? then they come for your shit.

If you don’t want them to come to take your shit, FOLLOW THE FUCKING LAW. So simple!!!!! Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?

These right wing nut jobs are something else. Haha.

[-] hglman@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 years ago

Control the laws, and make yourself immune. They have no concept of things needing to be fair, only self-enrichment. They are sick people with a deep pathological drive to enrich themselves at any cost. Wealth is an addiction on top of that. The combination has shaped human society for millennia.

[-] profdc9@lemmy.world 25 points 2 years ago

In other news, 1600 millionaires have made significant donations to their Congressmen and paid lobbyists. Expect a new "The IRS is evil" campaign soon.

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[-] DeadNinja@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago

"Plans to" ? okay...

[-] Smacks@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

So, they weren't doing it before? What the hell have they been doing this whole time?

[-] comador@lemmy.world 31 points 2 years ago

Because the IRS has continuously had its budget cut, most extensively under Trump

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-irs-was-gutted

[-] MNByChoice@midwest.social 9 points 2 years ago

Good. Please do pay one's taxes and pursue those that do not.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

If Wesley Snipes can do time for not paying taxes, so can some of these other millionaires.

[-] Grant_M@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 years ago

Tax the snot out of these greedy hogs.

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this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
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