 The IRS is set to receive its largest funding increase in years thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. You know who should be worried about this? Wealthy Americans who dodge taxes. Recent figures estimate that the richest 1% are hiding more than 20% of their earnings from the IRS, accounting for more than a third of all unpaid federal taxes. Some estimates show that collecting all unpaid federal income taxes from the wealthiest Americans could generate anywhere from $200 billion to $1.75 trillion over the decade. So why hasn't our government been able to collect all that untaxed money from the richest of the rich? Because the IRS has been underfunded and severely understaffed, thanks in large part to a decades-long campaign from Republicans to transfer wealth to the top. Over the past 10 years, the IRS's budget has been reduced by roughly 20%. Its staffing is at a level not seen since 1973, although the American population is about a third larger now. On top of that, the tax returns of the wealthy are very difficult, time-consuming and incredibly costly to audit. Without proper resources, it's harder for the IRS to go after the wealthiest Americans, while void paying their fair share. As a result, just 2% of the richest Americans had their taxes audited in 2019 that's down from 16% in 2010. Meanwhile, the poorest Americans who often claim a tax credit known as the Earned Income Tax Credit are five times more likely to get audited because their tax returns are less complex and because of pressure from congressional Republicans to root out incorrect payments of that tax credit. When the IRS can't function properly, all taxpayers are not off the hook evenly, and the result is a tax system stuck in a cycle where the working class bears the brunt, while the rich hoard wealth that could be used to invest in America. So don't believe the lies coming from the oligarchs and their propaganda machine. It's all fear mongering. The 1% have an incentive to keep the IRS hobbled and unable to excavate their hidden wealth. They also know the public is against them. Boosting the IRS budget to strengthen tax enforcement on high-income taxpayers is a popular policy supported by more than two-thirds of registered voters. IRS funding is a good thing. It means the agency can finally go after the real freeloaders in America, the super rich.