The IRS increased the amount of revenue it collected in
2013, according to a new report, despite auditing fewer taxpayers and seeing a
drop in funding. In all, the IRS brought in $2.9 trillion in fiscal 2013, a 13
percent jump and the third consecutive year with an increase. Revenue
collected from audits also grew in 2013, from $50.2 billion in 2012 to $53.3
billion, despite the decrease in enforcement actions. That increase was due at
least in part to several large appeal settlements, Treasury’s inspector general
for tax administration said.
The revenue increases came as the agency’s budget dwindled,
as part of the government’s broader efforts to cut spending and the response to
the IRS’s improper scrutiny of Tea Party groups. The IRS’s budget was $11.2
billion in 2013, down 7 percent from 2010’s $12.1 billion.
Those budget issues played a role in the decrease in IRS
audits and other efforts to collect revenue.
John Koskinen, the IRS commissioner, has said increasing the
agency’s budget is one of his top priorities. The recent budget cuts led to a 9
percent decrease in full-time employees, the Treasury inspector general said.
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