President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Billy Long—the former congressman and auctioneer from Missouri—will be his next nominee as head of the Internal Revenue Service. The nomination has crossed party lines and received both commendations and criticisms. Long involves himself mainly in real estate and business, thus deviating from the history of past IRS commissioners, who are often experts in tax issues.
Billy long’s background and nomination
Rep. Billy Long of Missouri served in Congress as a Republican from 2011 to 2023. Before he began his political career, he was a prominent auctioneer and businessman in real estate with an experience of 32 years as an entrepreneur. While he was in Congress, Long co-sponsored pieces of legislation aimed at reforming the U.S. tax code, which included measures to abolish the estate tax and make the entire structure simple with a flat rate.
In his announcement, Trump hailed Long as “one of the premier auctioneers in the country” and underscored his post-Congress business and tax advisement work. These credentials, however, have not silenced the debate on Long’s candidacy because he does not possess the relevant tax industry experience expected of previous heads of the IRS.
Long was recently involved in consulting companies related to the much-criticized Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) program because of its inherent fraud vulnerability. Long illustrated his work during his congressional period to push open access to the ERTC in 2023’s podcast. Critics contend that his endorsement of the credit contributed to its misapplication.
Reactions to the nomination
Long’s nomination has elicited mixed reactions from lawmakers and advocacy groups.
Supporters’ Perspective:
- Conservative voices, including Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho, expressed optimism about Long’s potential to address inefficiencies and privacy issues within the IRS.
- The National Taxpayers Union Foundation praised the pick, suggesting that Long’s outsider perspective could bring much-needed reform to the agency.
Critics’ Concerns:
- Progressive groups and Democratic lawmakers, such as Rep. Don Beyer, criticized the nomination as a “terrible mistake.” Beyer warned that replacing current IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel with Long could hinder recent progress, including enhanced customer service and stricter enforcement of tax laws for wealthy individuals.
- Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, dismissed Long’s qualifications, calling the choice “incredibly unserious” given his limited tax expertise.
IRS leadership: A contrast in experience
Long’s qualifications starkly contrast with those of recent IRS commissioners.
- Danny Werfel, the current commissioner appointed by President Biden, holds advanced degrees in public policy and law and has extensive government experience, including serving as acting IRS commissioner in 2013. Under his leadership, the IRS has focused on reducing response times, auditing wealthy taxpayers, and rolling out the Direct File system for free tax filing.
- Charles Rettig, appointed by Trump in 2018, had over three decades of experience as a tax attorney and chaired the IRS Advisory Council before leading the agency.
If confirmed by the Senate, Long would oversee an agency with 85,000 employees and a $12 billion annual budget, as well as ongoing efforts to modernize operations and enforce tax compliance.
What’s at stake for the IRS?
The IRS has made quite a number of strides in recent years, also hugely facilitated by the comprehensive funding under the Inflation Reduction Act. Among various other review elements, it has now increasingly been scaled up to improve customer services and increase more audits of wealthy taxpayers. Critics of the expanded budget, mostly from the Republican Party, believe that it risks overreach and is for unnecessary audits of middle-class Americans.
There are many questions hanging around about what Long’s potential leadership will mean for the fate of these reforms. Supporters will insist his business background would encourage innovation and efficiency, while detractors could argue that his lack of technical tax expertise might be a straw for that agency, but it may also further embolden tax evasion among high earners.
As the Senate prepares to evaluate Long’s nomination, his vision for the IRS will likely receive special scrutiny from both sides.
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