IRS Criminal Cases Fall 12 Percent as Agents Head for Exits
- Despite cuts, Chief Weber says, there’s ‘no decrease in crime’
- Critics say criminal agents should focus on core tax cases
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Sending tax cheats to prison has become increasingly difficult for the Internal Revenue Service amid an exodus of staffers from its Criminal Investigation Division and a 12 percent drop in new cases.
Budget cuts and a battering by House Republicans have led experienced criminal agents to retire in recent years, with the number falling 4.3 percent to 2,217 in fiscal year 2016. Over the past five years, agent staffing levels have decreased 19.1 percent, according to an annual report released Monday.