IRS audit report finds employees owe $50 million in back taxes: 'Double standard'

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is pushing for a regular audit of the Internal Revenue Service after a new inspector general report found that nearly 6,000 employees owe nearly $50 million in back taxes.

The July 24 report, requested by Ernst and conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, found that while 96% of employees were compliant with tax obligations, over 5,800 IRS and contractor employees owed nearly $50 million in overdue taxes, and only 20 of the agency’s employees who were failing to pay taxes were terminated.