Exclusive: Tax prosecutions plunge as Trump shifts crime-fighting efforts

[demmiblue]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Federal tax prosecutions fell to their lowest level in decades this year, declining more than 27% from the year before as the Trump administration cut the ranks of attorneys and agents who pursue those cases, a Reuters examination has found.

President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out a sweeping overhaul of U.S. law enforcement this year, forcing out scores of attorneys and focusing large sections of the Justice Department on tracking down immigrants. Its retreat from tax enforcement illustrates the toll that shift has taken on other crime-fighting efforts.

The administration made deep cuts to the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigative unit, and some of those who remained were ordered to start working on immigration cases or anti-crime patrols in Washington, according to government records and officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss their work publicly. At the same time, the Justice Department closed its Tax Division, and officials said a third or more of the criminal lawyers who worked there quit.

The government estimates that it collects almost $700 billion less in taxes than it is owed each year. Criminal prosecutions seek to recoup only a small fraction of that amount, but the threat of prison or large fines is meant to be one of the government’s key tools for deterring cheating. Experts including former IRS and Justice Department officials worry blunting the tool could embolden more cheating.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/tax-prosecutions-plunge-trump-shifts-crime-fighting-efforts-2025-12-10/

[Turbineguy]

1. Gotta protect tax cheats!

[Jimi du Ranty]

2. Trump the tax criminal, protecting other tax criminals

Apparently he is collecting bribes, for actions such as de-funding the IRS
which has been a goal for the GOP criminal party.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

3. DING DING! You are

CORRECT, SIR!

[popsdenver]

5. Putin and all Republican Politcians

Putin, Trump, Republican Politicians, Corporate Executives, and Uber Rich 1%ers........ no longer need Viagara.

All my life, I have heard the Uber Rich I have known, constantly bitch about having to hire high priced Tax Attorneys and Accountants.......

This is just yet another compounding wet dream come true for all these folks.

Years ago.....HWBush went to the head of the IRS and told him he was budgeting the IRS enough money to hire an additional 2000 auditors. The head of the IRS was overjoyed...........

Then HWBush told him, the focus of ALL of the IRS auditors will be the auditing of those making between 15-25K a year.
The head of the IRS pointed out two things.....analysis proved that the tax evasion was mostly in the 200K+ citizens, and the rewards/fines were greater by far. AND, he pointed out, that even if the people who make 15-25K a year cheated, the amount recovered was extremely minimal, if anything... and that the lower wage group needed every penny just to live on.......and were all just regular tax filers, with taxes deducted by the employers......giving them no ability to be able to cheat.....

HW disagreed and did not give the IRS the 2,000 extra auditors.

[Torchlight]

4. The GOP's bait and switch game.

An estimate puts the annual losses from white-collar crime close to $1.7 trillion per year. But the GOP and their trolls focus only on those more obvious and visceral instances of violent crime as effective bait and switch so the green stays in their pockets.