Shumita Basu

Tax season is upon us, but roughly 7,000 employees were recently fired by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Doge team. They've said their goal is to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the government.

The IRS has been hit especially hard by these cuts, ProPublica reports, because it did a lot of hiring and training in 2024, which means a lot of people were still in their probationary period a few weeks ago when they found out they were being cut.

The IRS has been hit especially hard by these cuts, ProPublica reports, because it did a lot of hiring and training in 2024, which means a lot of people were still in their probationary period a few weeks ago when they found out they were being cut.

The IRS has been hit especially hard by these cuts, ProPublica reports, because it did a lot of hiring and training in 2024, which means a lot of people were still in their probationary period a few weeks ago when they found out they were being cut.

Last year's hiring wave came after Congress had underfunded the agency for a good part of the last decade, which led to chronic understaffing, poor customer service, and plummeting audit rates.

Last year's hiring wave came after Congress had underfunded the agency for a good part of the last decade, which led to chronic understaffing, poor customer service, and plummeting audit rates.

Last year's hiring wave came after Congress had underfunded the agency for a good part of the last decade, which led to chronic understaffing, poor customer service, and plummeting audit rates.

ProPublica spoke with more than a dozen current and former IRS employees, most of whom worked for the Large Business and International Division, or LBNI, which audits some of the highest dollar amount tax returns filed in the country.

ProPublica spoke with more than a dozen current and former IRS employees, most of whom worked for the Large Business and International Division, or LBNI, which audits some of the highest dollar amount tax returns filed in the country.

ProPublica spoke with more than a dozen current and former IRS employees, most of whom worked for the Large Business and International Division, or LBNI, which audits some of the highest dollar amount tax returns filed in the country.

Almost half of the engineer positions in LBNI, that is people who have specialized expertise and can weigh in on more complicated tax returns, appear to have been eliminated in the recent cut. And these current and former employees told reporter Andy Kroll that that could make it more difficult for the agency to audit some of the wealthiest people and businesses in the country.

Almost half of the engineer positions in LBNI, that is people who have specialized expertise and can weigh in on more complicated tax returns, appear to have been eliminated in the recent cut. And these current and former employees told reporter Andy Kroll that that could make it more difficult for the agency to audit some of the wealthiest people and businesses in the country.

Almost half of the engineer positions in LBNI, that is people who have specialized expertise and can weigh in on more complicated tax returns, appear to have been eliminated in the recent cut. And these current and former employees told reporter Andy Kroll that that could make it more difficult for the agency to audit some of the wealthiest people and businesses in the country.

The LB&I specialists focus on auditing big businesses like major tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, and oil and gas companies.

The LB&I specialists focus on auditing big businesses like major tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, and oil and gas companies.

The LB&I specialists focus on auditing big businesses like major tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, and oil and gas companies.

The businesses and individuals that fall under the purview of LB&I, according to a former IRS commissioner, often have access to the most sophisticated tax preparers and lawyers. So, he told ProPublica, they're typically, quote, pushing the envelope as much as they can on their taxes.

The businesses and individuals that fall under the purview of LB&I, according to a former IRS commissioner, often have access to the most sophisticated tax preparers and lawyers. So, he told ProPublica, they're typically, quote, pushing the envelope as much as they can on their taxes.

The businesses and individuals that fall under the purview of LB&I, according to a former IRS commissioner, often have access to the most sophisticated tax preparers and lawyers. So, he told ProPublica, they're typically, quote, pushing the envelope as much as they can on their taxes.

In some cases, LB&I agents discover that the government actually owes the taxpayer more money than expected. But with fewer people on staff, the people ProPublica interviewed warned that these types of complicated returns will inevitably receive less attention.