The IRS is laying off more than 6,000 employees as part of the Trump administration’s widespread downsizing of the federal government. The agency had added thousands of workers in recent years in an effort to improve customer service and beef up collection of unpaid taxes. Credit: npr

The Internal Revenue Service, better-known as the IRS, is cutting more than 6,000 jobs in the middle of a busy tax season.

The cuts are part of a widespread downsizing throughout the federal government, being led by Elon Musk’s deputies at the informal “Department of Government Efficiency.”

IRS employees were notified about the looming job cuts on Thursday. Most of the people affected are “probationary” workers who had been on the job for a limited time.

Landing right in the middle of the tax season, the job cuts are expected to make it harder for taxpayers to get questions answered and for the government to collect all of the money it’s owed.

The move drew protests from government watchdogs, who worry it will compromise the government’s ability to go after wealthy tax cheats.

Read the Full Article