Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman today issued the following statement on planned workforce reductions at the IRS by the Trump Administration, which will significantly impact revenue collection in Maryland:

I am deeply concerned about recent reports that the Trump Administration is preparing to eliminate up to 45,000 positions from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – potentially slashing the federal agency workforce by as much as half.  This IRS is charged with administering federal tax laws, collecting federal taxes from individual and corporate taxpayers, and ensuring everyone pays what they owe. Put simply, the men and women at the IRS collect the revenue needed to fund our country’s core operations and obligations, including maintaining critical infrastructure, supporting public education, and ensuring key benefits that working Americans pay for, that they are entitled to, are there when we need them. 

 

If the Administration moves through with this proposal, generations of Americans will suffer for it. Our country operates on a voluntary tax compliance system that only works because of the deterrent effect of audits. Over the past few years, thanks to significant investments and operational improvements, the IRS has grown its abilities to identify and prevent fraud and root out tax evaders, while helping to close our national budget deficit and funding essential services and infrastructure needs. The IRS is also an essential partner to states. State governments rely on the IRS to complete complicated multi-state audits that return much-needed funds to our states that support our budget priorities. A gutted IRS is the dream of every tax cheat and a disservice to every law-abiding American and Marylander.