The deadline to file federal income taxes is April 15, and this tax season has been steeped with a bit more uncertainty than usual.
President Donald Trump tasked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency with cutting costs, and part of this effort included gaining read-only access to the Treasury Department’s U.S. payment system, leaving some taxpayers concerned about federal access to their information.
David Gamage is a University of Missouri tax law professor and served as special counsel to the treasury department for the Obama administration from 2010 to 2012. He says he is hesitant to speculate about any implications, as nothing similar to this has happened before.
"Nothing like this has ever happened, and that makes it hard to predict what the outcome will be," Gamage says. "In the modern era, meaning the last 100 years or so, taxpayer records have been treated carefully."
He says that although there is no legal way for Musk’s team to gain access to taxpayer information, that doesn’t necessarily mean they haven’t.
He also says it is possible that unprecedented access to the IRS computer system could slow down the processing of tax returns later this year.
Though he cannot predict what might happen, he says the possible ramifications of this access are worrisome.
"A world in which a president or senior political actor could use the IRS as a tool to block their enemies is a very worrisome world," Gamage says.
Additionally, as Musk’s department initiates thousands of federal layoffs, the Kansas City IRS office has been forced to fire more than 100 employees during its busiest season. Kansas City’s chapter of the National Treasury Employees Union declined to comment.
