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Comment by daveguy | Hacker News Reader

I agree. The IRS should be better funded so they can afford to update their systems and hire more tech experts.

I hope this is meant to be satirical. The IRS has a massive budget. Maybe just reallocate their current funds instead of giving them more is a better idea.

I don’t think the parent is satirical at all; as an enumerated power, the IRS needs modernization and better funding.

Recent hiring expansions have increased audits for high earners and generated additional revenue. Turbotax’s lobbyists are losing influence and we’re enjoying free filing options for individuals in some states. It’s also reasonable to say that a revenue service is not responsible for defining authentication security standards.

Why do you think reallocating funds is worth it as a response to this issue? Where would those funds go?

I'm sure you've seen teams that have bad leadership / a culture of dysfunction. They're always asking for more headcount and no much how much you add they don't get any better. I assume parent was pointing out that no matter how many resources you give to the IRS they won't get functionally better. You need to change the leadership/incentives/culture, which is hard with govt agencies but resources also won't make the problem go away.

I simply don't agree that the issues faced are the same; published reports detail how the complexities inherent to high-income non-filers and filers alike leave plenty of room for more accurate assessments. [0][1]

0. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106112

1. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-launches-new-effort-aimed-a...

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