Tax Day 2022: Should Congress Approve New Taxes and Funding to Modernize the IRS?

Should the IRS get more funding to improve services and close loopholes? How would President Joe Biden’s proposed tax hikes on high incomes impact the economy? 

As the IRS deadline for tax filing arrived, a Treasury Department statement marked this year as the “most challenging filing season in recent history,” fueled by “chronic underfunding” of the IRS, “antiquated” technology and a “historic” pandemic. The statement reiterated Biden’s call for $80 billion over the next decade to “modernize” the IRS, prevent tax evasion and create “a much smoother experience for the American taxpayer.”

However, Republican activist Grover Norquist (Right bias) argued that the IRS funding would result in “failure” and that Biden’s proposed tax hikes, which would fund the IRS modernization, would “increase prices, depress wages, and make America less competitive in the world.”

Voices in left-rated outlets often supported additional IRS funding, and some voices in right-rated outlets opposed it. Several outlets across the spectrum covered related Tax Day topics, such as guides on how to file a tax return.