IRS slammed for job posting requiring agents be qualified to use deadly force 'if necessary'

A link to a job posting for "Criminal Investigation Special Agents" for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) appeared to have been briefly deleted following online backlash to the post. The post reappeared after the removal was noticed.

A "key requirement" for applicants is that they be "legally allowed to carry a firearm."

According to the post, "major duties" included "Carry a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary" and "Be willing and able to participate in arrests, execution of search warrants, and other dangerous assignments."

The post also stated that agents "will combine accounting skills with law enforcement skills to investigate financial crimes" and that "all income earned, both legal and illegal, has the potential of becoming involved in crimes which fall within the investigative jurisdiction of the IRS Criminal Investigation."

The timing of the job posting coincided with the backlash to the proposed expansion of the IRS under the Democrats' so-called "Inflation Reduction Act," which includes $80 billion for the IRS to be used over a 10-year period, toward filling 87,000 IRS positions, more than doubling the agency's current size, intended to help the agency crack down on tax evasion.

The bill was signed into law by Joe Biden on Tuesday.

Republicans warn that the legislation will fund an army of IRS agents to crack down on small business owners and lower-income workers. According to an analysis released by House Republicans, Americans who earn less than $75,000 per year are slated to receive 60 percent of the additional tax audits expected under the Democrats' spending package.

Yet Democrats continue to state that Americans making less than $400,000 will not be targeted due to the spending legislation.

According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Special Agents in the Criminal Investigation team are trained in the use of firearms and, agents are issued one handgun. The IRS’ 2021 Annual Report states that the CI team investigates crimes including cyber crimes, general tax fraud, identity theft, , and more. There are also Special Agent attaches for CI teams stationed in 11 foreign countries.