Democrats Ask the IRS Why Tax Audits for the Poor Have Doubled
- Wealthy less likely to be audited than poorer taxpayers
- Biden pledged to only increase audit rates on top earners
The Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Two congressional Democrats are pressing the Internal Revenue Service for more details about why the audit rate for the lowest-earning households has nearly doubled in the past year, in face of pledges by President Joe Biden to restrain such examinations.
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Representative Judy Chu of California asked IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig to explain a rise in audits of those earning less than $25,000, which is at odds with Biden’s policy of not increasing tax examinations for those earning less than $400,000.