Friend,

In all the media coverage of the release of Donald Trump’s tax returns,
one important point got buried:

The IRS did not do its job in auditing Trump’s taxes, allowing him to get
away with shirking his responsibilities for years -- just as it does with
most of the very wealthy.(1)

Meanwhile, those earning incomes that place them below the poverty line
are five times more likely to be audited than anyone else.(2)

Why are poor people getting audited more than the rich? Because the IRS
has been dangerously underfunded for years, and low-income tax returns are
simple to audit, while the tax forms of the wealthy take advantage of
hundreds of loopholes, requiring more personnel.(3)

Last year, Congress took a big step toward staffing the IRS with the
personnel it needs to ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share, but
Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his GOP majority are trying to overturn that
added funding. Courage California has joined with Americans for Tax
Fairness to call on the Senate to stop this attempt to cheat the IRS.

[ [link removed] ]Click here to sign our petition calling on the Senate to reject the
GOP's attempt to defund the IRS!

[ [link removed] ]ADD YOUR NAME

In 2009, Trump claimed a $72.9 million tax refund via supposed business
losses -- a figure that certainly should have been checked. In fact, the
IRS said it was initiating an audit -- but never followed through.(4)

But congressional Republicans have slashed the IRS budget by 20% since
2010, leading to massive delays and allowing the 1% to avoid paying an
estimated $160 billion in taxes every year.(5) The latest Republican
action will cost the country more than $200 billion in revenue -- money
that could help working families afford health care, child care, and other
essentials.

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, $80 billion is supposed to be
added to the IRS’s budget over the next 10 years in personnel that will
finally follow up on these outstanding audits. We need the Senate to
uphold that promise.

[ [link removed] ]We need to fight back -- will you sign our petition calling on the
Senate to block this attack on the IRS?

[ [link removed] ]SUPPORT THIS CAMPAIGN

Yours in the fight for tax fairness,

Irene, along with Annie, Isidra, Lindsay, Mai, Mai, Raquel, and Scottie
(and the rest of the Courage team)

Footnotes:
1.
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5.
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Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.

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