IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel announces a focus on catching tax evaders using artificial intelligence as part of efforts to ensure equitable tax compliance and improve service quality.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has announced plans to intensify efforts against tax evasion by high-wealth individuals, emphasizing the implementation of new strategies, including artificial intelligence, to detect and combat tax dodging. In an interview with The Associated Press, Werfel stressed the need for equitable tax compliance to ensure the government’s financial sustainability. This focus comes amidst criticism from Republican lawmakers regarding the IRS’s operations. Nevertheless, Werfel is dedicated to enhancing the IRS’s service quality and transparency, introducing measures such as the Direct File program to ease the tax filing process. Despite challenges like reduced budgets and outdated systems, the IRS reports progress in taxpayer services, including reduced phone wait times and the introduction of new online tools.
In a separate development, progressive Democrats, led by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have voiced strong opposition to a bipartisan spending bill that proposes to cease direct US funding to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) until 2025. UNRWA is a critical provider of humanitarian aid in Gaza, and the suspension of U.S. financial support pending an investigation by the UN has sparked controversy. Critics, including Ocasio-Cortez, label the funding halt as detrimental to the Palestinian humanitarian situation. The spending bill, which seeks to maintain government operations until September, has elicited mixed reactions from both political parties concerning its impact on UNRWA and the Palestinians it supports. The bill’s advancement depends on a House vote, with its passage requiring a two-thirds majority. President Biden has committed to signing the bill should it be approved.