IRS Chief Hones Elevator Pitch Ahead of Major Recruitment Push

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel has a message for prospective IRS employees: The agency may not be your favorite, but it’s critical to the functioning of the US government and now is a key opportunity to improve it.

As the IRS prepares to hire tens of thousands of new employees in the coming years with the $80 billion it received in the Inflation Reduction Act, Werfel is working on his elevator pitch for potential candidates.

“The pitch is, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform and modernize one of the most important organizations in America,” Werfel said in an interview for Bloomberg Tax’s Talking Tax podcast.

He added that “you don’t have to love the IRS” and can complain about it, but the agency is “essential to the operations of the United States government, and by extension, essential to civilized society.”

Werfel said the agency doesn’t just need more auditors, but it also needs data scientists, specialized accountants, attorneys, and engineers. He also said the IRS is seeking to hire everyone from recent graduates to those who have are nearing the end of their careers in the private sector.

“We’re looking for a mix,” he said.

Werfel took over what many call one of the toughest jobs in government in March. For his first six months on the job, his goal is to successfully make progress in ramping up implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act funding for customer service, enforcement, and technology.

“What do I want to get accomplished in six months is I want us to be humming in each of those areas, with great clarity in terms of what are the top projects that we need to do in each, what are the key steps,” he said.

Tax Filing

Another top priority is for the IRS to have a strong tax-filing season next year, Werfel said, calling it a “huge moment of truth” for the agency after this year’s filing season received positive reviews in part because of the new funds.

This year’s filing season “will be easily forgotten if we don’t come out of the gate strong next year when filing season begins,” he said. “So we want to continue that momentum.”

The Inflation Reduction Act directs the IRS submit a report for Congress by mid-May on the feasibility of an agency-run free online tax filing system. Tax preparation companies like H&R Block and Turbo Tax, as well as Republicans, are staunchly opposed to such a system.

Werfel said the IRS is on track to deliver the report by the middle of this month and that he expects the report will provide a “balanced view.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if people read the report and reach different conclusions,” he said. “Some will read it and say, ‘Oh, we should definitely, absolutely go forward,’ and some will read it and say, ‘Ah, this is what I thought. And therefore we shouldn’t go forward.’”

Look for Bloomberg Tax’s podcast with Werfel on Thursday.