| 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. Click here to sign our petition calling on the Senate to reject the GOP's attempt to defund the IRS!
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.
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:  |
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