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Trump’s Controversial Choice for IRS Leader Raises Concerns About Tax Credit Fraud

In Citizen
January 18, 2025

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Former Missouri congressman Billy Long has been chosen 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. This tax credit has faced issues with fraud and has ended up costing the government more money than originally expected.

Written by Andrew Duehren

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Donald J. Trump, who is set to become president, announced 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, 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 which has been plagued by fraud and ended up costing the government billions more than anticipated. In response, lawmakers have attempted to end the tax credit, and the I.R.S. has halted the processing of claims temporarily in order to identify and reject false applications for the tax break.

During a podcast interview in 2023, Mr. Long talked about how he assists businesses in claiming the Employee Retention Tax Credit. He mentioned that he and his colleagues have not had any of their claims denied by the tax agency. This credit 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 sneak anyone through, but rather make sure that they qualify for the refund from the IRS with interest.

Donald Trump has made a new selection for a key position in the IRS, which could have a significant impact. The Biden administration has allocated a large amount of money to update the agency and strengthen its efforts to collect taxes, aiming to enhance customer service and combat tax evasion.

President Biden appointed Daniel Werfel, a former management consultant and civil servant with experience in both Democratic and Republican administrations, to be in charge of revamping the IRS in 2022. Werfel’s term as leader was scheduled to end in 2027.

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