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IRS Agent Claims He Can ‘Go Into Anyone’s House at Any Time I Want’

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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Friday demanding to know why an agent had told a woman that he could “go into anyone’s house at any time I want.”

Jordan revealed in the letter that a he’d recently learned of allegations about an IRS agent who had allegedly used a fake name to enter a taxpayer’s home and then threatened her. The letter explained that an agent going by “Bill Haus” showed up at an Ohio woman’s home in April, telling her that he can “go into anyone’s house at any time.”

“We have recently received allegations that an Internal Revenue Service agent provided a false name to an Ohio taxpayer as part of a deception to gain entry into the taxpayer’s home to confront her about delinquent tax filings,” the letter reads. “When the taxpayer rightfully objected to the agent’s tactics, the IRS agent insisted that he ‘can . . . go into anyone’s house at any time’ as an IRS agent. These allegations raise serious concerns about the IRS’s commitment to fundamental civil liberties.”

Haus allegedly entered the woman’s home, claiming she owed a significant amount in taxes for an estate of which she was a “fiduciary,” according to the letter. Later on, the agent allegedly told the woman that he was actually there to discuss “several delinquent tax return filings” from the estate’s deceased owner.

After calling her attorney, the woman was instructed to tell the agent to leave but he refused, claiming that he could be at any house at “any time,” according to the letter. Haus eventually left but allegedly “threatened that she had one week to satisfy the remaining balance or he would freeze all her assets and put a lien on her house.” (Read more from “IRS Agent Claims He Can ‘Go Into Anyone’s House at Any Time I Want’” HERE)

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IRS Whistleblower Says DOJ ‘Slow-Walked’ Hunter Biden Tax Probe: Report

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An Internal Revenue Service whistleblower who alleged prosecutors mishandled an ongoing tax evasion probe into Hunter Biden spoke publicly for the first time and said he felt he had no choice but to go public with the accusations that the probe was stymied.

The 14-year-veteran of the IRS, Gary Shapley, claimed the Justice Department gave special treatment to the investigation in ways he had never witnessed before during an interview with CBS Evening News Tuesday.

“There were multiple steps that were slow-walked – were just completely not done – at the direction of the Department of Justice,” Shapley told CBS News chief investigative correspondent Jim Axelrod in his first public remarks. “When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw deviations from the normal process. It was way outside the norm of what I’ve experienced in the past.”

The IRS investigator — who was recently removed from the highly sensitive probe in what he believes was an act of retaliation — is scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee Friday in a closed-door meeting.

Shapley has not said what or who the investigation he oversaw was looking into, but Congressional sources have said Hunter Biden, 53, and his alleged failure to pay taxes on millions of dollars earned from overseas business deals are the subject of the complaint. (Read more from “IRS Whistleblower Says DOJ ‘Slow-Walked’ Hunter Biden Tax Probe: Report” HERE)

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Another IRS Investigator Claims Hunter Biden Inquiry Misconduct

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The criminal probe into Hunter Biden took another wild turn as an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigator who was dismissed from the case says agency officials have been ignoring claims that the Justice Department has been mishandling the inquiry led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss.

A special agent, who works under the IRS supervisor seeking to make whistleblower disclosures to Congress regarding allegations that the investigation has been corrupted by lies and politics, said efforts to bring forward these “issues” were shunned by their direct IRS superiors in the Criminal Investigation Division for years, according to an email to agency leadership.

“The ultimate decision to remove the investigatory team … without actually talking to that investigatory team, in my opinion was a decision made not to side with the investigators but to side with the US Attorney’s Office and Department of Justice who we have been saying for some time has been acting inappropriately,” the special agent added.

Lawyers representing the IRS supervisor attached the subordinate’s email in a weekend transmission to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. Their message, published on Monday by Just the News, warns about actions that “chill the disclosures of other IRS whistleblowers who may wish to come forward.” (Read more from “Another IRS Investigator Claims Hunter Biden Inquiry Misconduct” HERE)

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Watchdog: IRS Has Spent $10 Million on Guns, Ammo, and ‘Military-Style Equipment’

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The IRS has spent $10 million on firearms, ammunition, and “military-style gear” since 2020, the New York Post said on May 2, citing an Open the Books report.

Open the Books specified some of the purchases the IRS has made since 2020:

$2.3 million on duty ammunition
$1.2 million on ballistic shields, plus another $1.3 million on ‘various other gear for criminal investigation agents” – very non-transparent description

$474,000 on Smith & Wesson rifles

$467,000 on duty tactical lighting

$463,000 on Baretta 1301 tactical shotguns

$354,000 on tactical gear bags

$267,000 on ballistic helmets

$243,000 on body armor vests

(Read more from “Watchdog: IRS Has Spent $10 Million on Guns, Ammo, and ‘Military-Style Equipment’” HERE)

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IRS Has Spent $10 Million on ‘Weaponry and Gear’ Since Start of Coronavirus Pandemic, Report Says

By Fox News. The Internal Revenue Service has spent $10 million on “weaponry and gear,” including rifles and tactical shotguns, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a new report says.

The findings from OpenTheBooks come as the IRS is looking to hire special agents who will carry guns and make arrests, with jobs available in all 50 states, according to a posting on the agency’s website.

“The years 2020 and 2021 were peak years at the IRS for purchasing weaponry and gear. Just since the pandemic started, the IRS has purchased $10 million in weaponry and gear,” says the report from OpenTheBooks, which describes itself as a nonprofit, nonpartisan “government watchdog organization.” . . .

OpenTheBooks says that prior to 2020, the IRS already had “4,500 guns and has stockpiled 5 million rounds of ammunition for use by its 2,159 special agents.” . . .

The organization also said there are “now more federal agents with arrest and firearm authority (200,000) than U.S. Marines (186,000).” (Read more from “IRS Has Spent $10 Million on ‘Weaponry and Gear’ Since Start of Coronavirus Pandemic, Report Says” HERE)

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The IRS Plans to Hire Gun-Carrying Special Agents in All 50 States

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is looking to hire special agents who carry guns and make arrests with jobs available in all 50 states, according to a posting on the agency’s website.

The law enforcement branch of the IRS, known as the Criminal Investigation (CI) division, is hiring for the role at locations throughout the U.S. IRS special agents within the CI division are the only IRS employees who are authorized by law to carry and use firearms. IRS-CI investigates financial crimes, money laundering, tax-related identity theft and terrorist financing efforts.

Under the posting’s “major duties” section, the IRS says that special agents “[c]arry 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.”

Additionally, IRS-CI special agents must be “willing and able to participate in arrests, execution of search warrants, and other dangerous assignments.” The posting adds that special agents need to maintain “a level of fitness necessary to effectively respond to life-threatening situations on the job.” (Read more from “The IRS Plans to Hire Gun-Carrying Special Agents in All 50 States” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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IRS Commissioner Dumbfounded by Hunter Biden Whistleblower Accusations; Hunter Biden: IRS Whistleblower’s Claims Are a ‘Felony’

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By Breitbart. IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel was dumbfounded in a Thursday closed-door Senate Finance Committee meeting about IRS whistleblower complaints that contend two Biden administration political appointees within the Justice Department have blocked charges against Hunter Biden for tax violations, a source familiar with the meeting told Breitbart News.

Commissioner Werfel, who was placed as the head of the IRS by President Joe Biden, had no answer for Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) when she questioned him about the whistleblower’s bombshell allegations.

“When did you know about the whistleblower? When did you know about this misconduct of Hunter Biden? How did you find out, did you try to block any part of this investigation?” Blackburn demanded to know.

“I’m asking about your and the IRS participation in this, not the particulars of Hunter’s returns,” she added. . .

“Senator, um, this is the way I’m gonna, uh, I’d like to answer,” he said. “First of all, I, I think you know this. I, I’m, I’m only a few weeks into my term here at the IRS.” (Read more from “IRS Commissioner Dumbfounded by Hunter Biden Whistleblower Accusations” HERE)

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Hunter Biden: IRS Whistleblower’s Claims Are a ‘Felony’

By Breitbart. Hunter Biden’s legal defense on Thursday argued it is a “felony” for an IRS whistleblower to reveal that two Biden administration political appointees within the Department of Justice (DOJ) allegedly blocked charges against Hunter for tax violations despite recommendations.

Hunter’s attorney, Chris Clark, said in a statement that “[i]t appears this IRS agent has committed a crime” by asking lawmakers for whistleblower protections to reveal allegations of deep politicization within the DOJ.

Clark, a high-profile attorney who leads Hunter’s criminal defense, said it’s improper because “it is a felony for an IRS agent to improperly disclose information about an ongoing tax investigation.”

“The IRS has incredible power, and abusing that power by targeting, embarrassing, or disclosing information about a private citizen’s tax matters undermines Americans’ faith in the federal government,” Clark said. (Read more from “Hunter Biden: IRS Whistleblower’s Claims Are a ‘Felony’” HERE)

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That IRS Hiring Binge? It’s Happening, Just as We Suspected

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In 2022, when the public learned that the Inflation Reduction Act earmarked an astonishing $80 billion for the Internal Revenue Service, the corporate press insisted everyone remain calm.

The $80 billion provided by President Biden’s massive social-welfare spending legislation would be used only on the other guys, members of the press argued. You know, the millionaires and billionaires. Don’t listen to the critics, advised our commentariat. It’s a conspiracy to think an IRS wealthier by $80 billion will translate into an auditor-hiring binge and an overabundance of scrutiny and red tape for workers and middle-class families. Indeed, credulous newsrooms claimed at the time, the $80 billion will mostly address “workforce attrition.”

On April 7, 2023, Politico scored a scoop: The IRS is on track to grow its workforce to levels not seen since the late 1990s. So much for “workforce attrition.”

“The IRS aims to employ 105,187 workers by 2025, swelling the agency ranks by nearly 50 percent within three years to workforce levels not seen for a quarter-century,” the report says, citing exclusively obtained IRS projections. Commissioner Danny Werfel and the Treasury Department are looking “to transform tax enforcement and administration with a new $80 billion windfall provided last August by Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act.” . . .

On another IRS matter, this week CBS News likewise scored a hot scoop: “Starting next year, a new IRS rule will require anyone earning over $600 on payment apps, like Venmo, in 2023 to receive a 1099-K form. The old threshold was earning $20,000 over 200 transactions.” (Read more from “That IRS Hiring Binge? It’s Happening, Just as We Suspected” HERE)

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

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The Internal Revenue Service released a proposed revenue procedure on Monday which would entail employers in the service industry voluntarily reporting their workers’ tips to the tax 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 notice 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’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 required 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 address 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.” (Read more from “IRS Moves To Go After Workers’ Tips As Biden Promises Middle Class Won’t Be Taxed More” HERE)

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Will the IRS Lose Its $80 Billion Appropriation?

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In what is certainly the shortest bill regarding federal revenue that I’ve ever seen come out of the House of Representatives, the House voted to rescind much of the $80 billion funding granted to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The bill, H.R. 9092, known as the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act (Taxpayer Protection Act), consists of just one sentence that provides that certain elements of the funding granted to the IRS by the Inflation Reduction Act “are rescinded.”

Please note that the Taxpayer Protection Act does not seek to rescind the entire $80 billion appropriation. The elements to be cut include $45.6 billion specifically intended for tax-law enforcement and $25.3 billion for the support of law-enforcement activities.

The Taxpayer Protection Act would leave in place the funding targeted at taxpayer services, including pre-filing assistance and education, filing and account services, taxpayer-advocacy services, and other related services. The level of funding pointed at those programs — $3.18 billion of the $80 billion was earmarked for taxpayer services and education — betrays the thinking of much of Washington’s elite. Barely 4 percent of the windfall the IRS is to receive will directly help taxpayers comply with the law, compared with 96 percent that is intended to be used for, one way or another, enforcement.

This is why I opposed the funding bill in the first place. I have argued for decades that the vast majority of the problems people have with IRS compliance are not driven by tax cheating; they are the results of ignorance that is itself the result of our having a tax code that consists of more than 4 million words that have been changed more than 6,000 times just since 2001.

This is also why I challenged the current nominee for IRS commissioner, Danny Werfel, to rebuild the IRS’s pre-filing education programs, along with its outreach functions to citizens and private-sector tax professionals. Of all the government agencies in the United States, only the IRS touches every citizen, regardless of his age or his social, economic, or cultural background. This is why outreach and education must be a major priority for the agency, and not just an afterthought.

The question now on everybody’s mind is: What’s next for the IRS in light of the Taxpayer Protection Act’s funding cut? Given the circumstances in Washington, I believe the act is merely symbolic. While it passed the Republican-controlled House, it will not pass the Senate, and thus, it will never find its way to the White House to be signed by President Biden.

The IRS will still get its money, and my challenge to the new commissioner remains the same: Will you meaningfully work to assist taxpayers in complying with a law that is “so voluminous that it cannot be read, and so incoherent that it cannot be understood,” or will you simply turn up the heat on those hapless taxpayers who find themselves unable to comply?

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Poor People Five Times More Likely Than Average Earner to Be Audited by Biden IRS

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Poor people faced a significantly higher chance in 2022 of being audited by President Joe Biden’s IRS than both rich and middle-class earners, according to a Syracuse University study.

In fact, no group faced as much scrutiny from the IRS as those who made below $25,000, the university’s data-gathering center found. Among families that benefited from the earned income tax credit, a rebate on income and payroll taxes made available to the nation’s poorest families, 1.27 percent were audited. The IRS in 2022 audited just 0.19 percent of the vast majority of taxpayers, meaning the poorest families were at least 550 percent more likely to have the IRS knock on their door than the average filer.

These families were also more likely to receive a regular audit by the IRS than families that reported over $1 million in income, of which just over 1 percent faced regular audits. In total, the IRS audited a total 626,204 taxpayers out of more than 164 million in the 2022 fiscal year. The bulk of those audits were of filers in the lowest income group.

The new data raise questions about the IRS’s auditing strategy as it stands to benefit from $80 billion in new funding that the Biden administration plans to use for new hires. Republicans have alleged that despite White House promises to the contrary, middle-class and poor Americans will face more audits due to the 87,000 new IRS employees the agency plans to hire. (Read more from “Poor People Five Times More Likely Than Average Earner to Be Audited by Biden IRS” HERE)

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