CNN
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The Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency are proposing a dramatic downsizing of the IRS that would result in a nearly 20% reduction of its workforce by May 15 — one month after Tax Day in the United States.
President Donald Trump has ordered agencies across the federal government to turn in their “large scale” layoff plans — known as Reduction in Force, or RIF — by Thursday.
The details of the IRS proposal have been laid out in an email from DOGE and will be discussed at a meeting among agency leadership Thursday morning, according to a source familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The proposal has not been made public.
The latest round of layoffs would terminate nearly 6,800 employees — on top of about 6,700 probationary employees who have already been fired and 4,700 employees who took the “voluntary buyout” known as the “Fork in the Road” program from the Trump administration.
Echoing concerns sounded by experts and other employees, the source says these cuts could impact the amount of revenue the IRS brings in and that could ripple through the federal government as IRS funds nearly all government operations. While April 15 is the deadline for tax returns to be filed, the agency processes tax returns year-round.
“Depending upon how we effectuate these cuts, it could dramatically reduce revenue, dramatically reduce customer service,” the source said, adding that the cuts could also impact voluntary tax compliance.
“If we are not auditing much, it impacts people’s willingness to file honestly in the first place,” the source said.
