Dave Nershi was finalizing a report he'd worked on for months when an ominous email appeared in his inbox. Nershi had worked as a general engineer for the Internal Revenue Service for about nine months. He was one of hundreds of specialists inside the IRS who used their technical expertise -- Nershi's background is in chemical and nuclear engineering -- to audit byzantine tax returns filed by large corporations and wealthy individuals. Until recently, the IRS had a shortage of these experts, and many complex tax returns went unscrutinized. With the help of people like Nershi, the IRS could recoup millions and sometimes more than a billion dollars on a single tax return. But on Feb. 20, three months shy of finishing his probationary period and becoming a full-time employee, the IRS fired him.

Slashing IRS staff will end up costing the U.S. government. Multiple studies have shown that for every dollar spent by the IRS, the agency returns between $5 and $12. New @propublica.org by @andykroll.bsky.social

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-- Chris Morran (@themorrancave.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 6:25 AM