Does shrinking IRS budget reduce your chance of being audited?

YES, shrinking budget reduces your chance of getting grilled by the IRS.

• The main reason for the decline: IRS budget and staff levels are down.

• Tax collectors are blaming the massive drop off on budget cuts.

• IRS staff shrunk by 20,000 over the past 8 years, despite increase in numbers of returns filed.

• This is an unsustainable situation for the agency that brings in 90 percent of the nation’s revenue.

• This will worsen with additional cuts proposed in the Administration’s 2019 budget.

• Financial crime flourish in the age of internet, international financial crimes, and virtual currency.

• IRS number of personnel is unable to keep up.

• IRS is too swamped to audit you.

Here are more interesting developments:

• The IRS is living on $1 billion less than 10 years ago, down from $12 billion to $11 billion.

• The number of agents declined by one-third from 23,000 in 2010 to 15,000 today.

• We have the same number of special agents — around 2,200 — as we did 50 years ago.

• The agency has been trimmed back, even as the numbers of filers have grown.

• Americans filed 150 million individual returns in the last fiscal year, the most ever.

• Even as the number of returns grew, the number of audits dropped 40 percent from 2010 to 2017.

So, How Does Shrinking Budget Affect You?

• Well, it’s less likely that IRS will come after you.

• Your odds of not getting audited gets lower every year.

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Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV – Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation in Pasadena, California.

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He has 50 years of experience in defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, FTB, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies.  He is publishing a book on his expertise – “HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE IRS AUDITS.” Our readers may inquire about the book or email tax questions at [email protected].

Victor Sy, CPA, MBA (retired)

Victor Santos Sy, MBA. CPA (Retired) Victor Santos Sy graduated Cum Laude from UE with a BBA and from Indiana State University with an MBA. Vic worked with SyCip, Gorres, Velayo (SGV – Andersen Consulting) and Ernst & Young before establishing Sy Accountancy Corporation. * * * He retired after 50 years of defending taxpayers audited by the IRS, EDD, BOE and other governmental agencies. He published a book on “How to Avoid or Survive IRS Audits” that’s available at Amazon. Readers may email tax questions to [email protected].

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