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Former Congressman Billy Long from Missouri has been selected by Trump to lead the IRS. Long, who served six terms in Congress, has been involved in assisting businesses in claiming a tax credit during the pandemic. However, this tax credit has been plagued with fraud and has ended up costing the government more money than originally expected.
Written by Andrew Duehren
Writing from the capital
President-elect Donald J. Trump announced on Wednesday that he plans to appoint Billy Long, a former congressman from Missouri, as the new head of the Internal Revenue Service. This decision implies that he intends to remove the current leader of the tax agency, who was appointed by Biden.
Following his defeat in a Senate primary in 2022, Mr. Long has promoted a tax credit introduced during the pandemic that has been heavily abused by fraudsters, resulting in the government facing higher costs than originally anticipated. In response, lawmakers have attempted to end the tax credit and the I.R.S. has temporarily halted the processing of claims in order to identify and eliminate fraudulent applications.
During a podcast interview in 2023, Mr. Long talked about his efforts in assisting businesses to access the Employee Retention Tax Credit. He mentioned that neither him nor his colleagues had experienced any denials from the tax agency for these claims. This program was established by Congress and Mr. Trump in 2020 to encourage businesses to continue paying their employees during the economic shutdown.
He stated that they do not secretly assist anyone in obtaining refunds from the IRS, but they thoroughly verify that individuals do qualify for the refund with interest.
Donald Trump’s selection, revealed on his social media platform, is set to disrupt the I.R.S. during a critical time. The Biden administration has invested significant funds into updating the agency and enhancing its tax enforcement activities to enhance customer experience and combat tax evasion.
President Biden selected Daniel Werfel in 2022 to head the reform of the I.R.S. Werfel, a former management consultant and civil servant with experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations, was appointed to serve until 2027.
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