July 14,2023

Wyden Statement on IRS Rooting Out Wealthy Tax Cheats

Washington, D.C.—Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement today on the announcement that the IRS had successfully closed 175 delinquent tax cases involving millionaires: 

“Democrats promised better taxpayer service and a crackdown on wealthy tax cheats when we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, and this new report shows that the IRS is delivering on both. This great news about high-income tax enforcement comes on the heels of the smoothest tax filing season in many years. If the wealthy pay their fair share, there will be more headroom in the budget for Congress to address big priorities like shoring up Medicare and Social Security, improving education and rebuilding crumbling roads and bridges.

“The top legislative priority for Republicans is making it easier for rich people to cheat on their taxes. They threatened to crash the economy and cut off Social Security payments in order to cut $21.4 billion out of the IRS enforcement funding Democrats passed last year, and they’re coming back for a whole lot more. Their goal is to make sure nobody in law enforcement can crack down on the kinds of schemes identified in this report, including Maltese pension scams and fraudulent Puerto Rican residencies. The cuts they’re proposing will also inevitably degrade taxpayer service for typical Americans who follow the law. 

“It’s essential to stand up against Republicans who are doing the bidding of wealthy tax cheats, and key to that effort is getting this kind of information about high-income tax enforcement successes out to the American people.”

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