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The IRS is getting $80 billion. For what?

The IRS has a crushing backlog and antiquated technology. Will $80 billion help?
The IRS has a crushing backlog and antiquated technology. Will $80 billion help?

When President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, he allocated an infusion of $80 billion to the Internal Revenue Service.

The IRS says the money will help close the yearly deficit of $600 billion between the taxes the IRS collects and the taxes owed.

The agency plans to spend the money on hiring new enforcement agents, modernizing technology, auditing the wealthiest Americans, and improving the taxpayer experience. But the plan has attracted partisan pushback.

What obstacles has the IRS historically faced? And how far will the new money go to help the beleaguered agency?

Copyright 2022 WAMU 88.5

Avery Kleinman