In response to reports of DOGE-driven mass layoffs at the IRS, Nabil Ahmed, Oxfam America’s Director of Economic and Racial Justice, said:
“It’s no coincidence that, in the middle of tax season, the wealthiest man in the world and the richest administration in U.S. history are preparing to fire the very people who are meant to ensure billionaires pay their taxes. This is a perverse display of billionaire self-dealing at the expense of ordinary people, all in service of the Trump administration’s broader agenda of enriching the billionaire class.
“Billionaires like Musk have a clear reason to undermine the agency: they know that investing in tax authorities means the very richest would finally be forced to pay their fair share. For example, in 2024, the IRS announced that it had recovered over $1 billion in past-due taxes from wealthy tax cheats in less than a year, all thanks to the increased funding in the Inflation Reduction Act. Hamstringing the IRS is a calculated move to further entrench oligarchy’s hold over our democracy, robbing us all of resources for important programs that ordinary families rely on.”
Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. The future is equal. Join us at oxfamamerica.org
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notes to editors:
In less than one year, increased enforcement funds from the Inflation Reduction Act allowed the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to recover more than $1 billion in past-due taxes from wealthy tax cheats.
From 2014-2018, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), paid a true tax rate of 3.27%, according to investigations by Pro Publica.
Researchers have found that $1 spent auditing the richest 0.1% of taxpayers yields more than $6 in revenue.
Oxfam America supports an inequality-reducing tax code and calls on Congress to reject tax giveaways for the wealthiest and large corporations.