Ciscomani’s Votes To Gut IRS Enforcement Allows More Wealthy Tax Cheats to Avoid Scrutiny

TUCSON — Congressman Juan Ciscomani's first-ever vote in Congress was to protect wealthy tax cheats from scrutiny, and after he voted last year for the Republican Tax Law, the IRS is now hampered from going after billionaires and corporations that seek to cheat on their taxes.

In 2022, Democrats in Congress increased funding for the IRS to go after wealthy tax cheats who use complicated filings to avoid paying their fair share. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that for every $1 spent auditing the wealthiest of the wealthy (the top 0.1 percent), the audit returns over $6 in revenue.

In addition to rescinding IRS funding, Ciscomani backed the Republican Tax Law that gave massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and made drastic cuts to health care and nutrition assistance.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

“...lawyers say they see more taxpayers and tax-shelter promoters eager to cut corners or cheat.

Audits of people with at least $10 million in income dropped 9% last year, and they are on track to decline another 39% this year. Partnership audits declined, reversing an attempt to scrutinize private-equity firms and other complex entities that have long bedeviled the government.

In fiscal 2025, the IRS collected less direct revenue from audits and appeals than in any year since at least 2012, though the money can arrive years after audits start. The IRS said Sunday that total enforcement revenue was up 12% through the first five months of fiscal 2026.

Even without the proposed cut for next year, inflation-adjusted spending on tax enforcement is already the lowest in at least 20 years, according to the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.”

“Congressman Ciscomani has sided with wealthy tax cheats over Arizonans since he was sworn into Congress, and now they're getting exactly what they wanted: more cheating on their taxes and less health care for Arizonans,” said Andrea Moreno, Executive Director of Honest Arizona. “It's time for Ciscomani to start representing Arizonans and making sure that those who break the law pay for it.”

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