Musk’s IRS Takeover: Gutting an Agency That Holds the Rich Accountable
It seems there is no end to the conflicts of interest
For years, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has struggled with staffing shortages, making it nearly impossible to properly enforce tax laws, especially among America’s highest earners who have the means and know hot to evade taxes. A lack of resources meant fewer audits on those most likely to game the system, allowing billionaires and large corporations to exploit loopholes while everyday Americans paid their fair share.
The Biden administration took steps to address this issue by investing $80 billion into the IRS through the Inflation Reduction Act. This investment was intended to enhance staffing, modernize outdated systems, and ensure tax enforcement, particularly on high-income earners. Over a ten-year period, this funding was projected to more than double in returns, bringing in an estimated $186 billion in revenue by closing the tax gap—an impressive return on investment (CBO).
The Results: A Worthwhile Investment
Much like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)—which has cost taxpayers significantly less than it has returned—the IRS investment was set to pay dividends. And, in just two years, the impact was already clear. By 2024, the IRS had:
Collected over $1 billion from high-income taxpayers who owed substantial back taxes (IRS.gov).
Recovered $520 million from high-income non-filers (IRS.gov).
Increased audits on large corporations and wealthy individuals, with plans to nearly triple audits on corporations worth over $250 million and increase audits tenfold on large partnerships (IRS.gov).
These efforts weren’t about targeting ordinary Americans; they were about ensuring billionaires and corporations paid their fair share—something that should be uncontroversial to anyone who values fairness in taxation.
Enter Elon Musk: Dismantling Oversight, Gaining Power
Yet, in the latest effort to protect the ultra-wealthy from accountability, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planning mass layoffs at the IRS—during tax season, no less (Reuters). This move comes at a time when the IRS was finally cracking down on tax evasion among the richest Americans.
Even more concerning, Musk and his associates are seeking access to the nation’s most sensitive taxpayer information—data traditionally reserved for top IRS officials. This means that Musk and his unelected allies could potentially access your personal financial data, all under the pretense of eliminating “fraud, waste, and abuse.”
Of course, no actual evidence has been provided to justify this intrusion. Instead, Musk has resorted to posting out-of-context screenshots on Twitter as supposed “proof”—the kind of flimsy evidence that wouldn’t hold up anywhere except in 4Chan conspiracy circles.
The Real Agenda: Power and Wealth, Not Efficiency
If this were truly about “fraud, waste, and abuse,” ensuring the IRS was adequately staffed and funded would be the logical course of action. After all, the IRS investment was working, generating billions in revenue from tax evaders. But logic and evidence don’t matter when the goal isn’t efficiency—it’s control.
Musk’s growing influence over the government isn’t about reform; it’s about consolidating power, shielding the ultra-wealthy from oversight, and expanding his own wealth and prestige at the expense of the nation. If we don’t push back, we’re not just watching a billionaire gut the IRS—we’re witnessing an attempt to reshape the government into a tool for the elite, rather than for the people.