IRS won't hire armed auditors, will add criminal investigators, new chief says (April 20230
www.reuters.com

... Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Danny Werfel on Thursday said the agency will not hire any armed auditors with $80 billion in new funding, an attempt to dispel Republican assertions the IRS plans to build an "army" of 87,000 armed agents.

Werfel, sworn in as the tax agency's chief on April 4, acknowledged to a House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee hearing that the IRS Criminal Investigations division would hire additional staff authorized to carry firearms, but said this division does not conduct audits.

Werfel, asked how many armed revenue agents would be hired to increase the number of audits on wealthy Americans and large businesses, said, "None, sir."

But later, he said statistics cited by Republican Representative Adrian Smith sounded "about right" that the IRS would hire some 360 Criminal Investigation special agents over the next five years, for a net gain of 1,200 after retirements.

"Our CI division or Criminal Investigation Division, they do not conduct audits," Werfel said. "What they do is, they are investigating acute issues of fraud and tax evasion. And typically, they're armed when they're putting themselves in danger." ...