President Joe Biden has called for 80,000 new agents and auditors for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and at least 50 of those federal jobs will be coming to Clarksdale.
U.S. Commissioner of the IRS, Charles Rettig, came to Clarksdale Thursday and spoke at the Federal Building in downtown Clarksdale about the President’s plan and why Clarksdale and Greenville were picked as locations for offices that will house 50 and up to 100 workers respectively.
“When we received this charge from the President, we started looking around at how we might implement this mission,” said Rettig. “There was talk of expanding our major offices in New York, Chicago, L.A. (Los Angeles), Dallas and San Francisco.
“And then we said ‘where are the areas that need these jobs and would benefit the most from an IRS office?’” said Rettig. “We started looking for places in this country – rural areas – that allowed more access and could train auditors and agents and make our department more accessible to more people who have business with the IRS.”
Rettig said the IRS has more data than just about any agency in Washington and lawmakers repeatedly use IRS data to determine demographics and how a new program or policy might affect people and specifically taxpayers.
“I wanted to know where EITC payments were going,” said Rettig. “The Mississippi Delta and specifically Clarksdale was on that list.”
The United States federal earned income tax credit or earned income credit is a refundable tax credit for low- to moderate-income working individuals and couples, particularly those with children. The amount of EITC benefit depends on a recipient's income and number of children.
The fact that the county had office space available at the Federal Building in downtown Clarksdale also helped.
“Ten percent of our employees are veteran,” said Rettig. “We have a number of programs that benefit veterans.
“We also investigate and prosecute those who prey on veterans and their benefits,” said Rettig. “If someone comes to you saying they can get you veteran benefits for a $300 or $500 fee, we want to hear about that.”
Rettig said the IRS will train employees for the work and age is not a factor.
“We are looking for young people who want to make this a career that will benefit them and give them a lifetime of rewarding work,” said Rettig. “We also want those people who are looking for a career change and want to serve their community and country.”
The Clarksdale facility will be offices and a point of contact for people seeking information from the IRS or who might need to get the IRS information to clarify their tax information.
Part of the facility will be a call center and a portion of the facility will have offices for agents looking for more detailed information and investigating possible tax fraud.
IRS agents who typically arrest those charged with serious tax fraud, such as drug kingpins and organized crime bosses, will not be officed at the Clarksdale facility. Those agents are typically called in from larger offices in metropolitan areas such as Memphis, Jackson and Atlanta.
The 87,000 new IRS agents requested by President Biden are expected to find an estimated $204 billion in new revenues.
Rettig is an American attorney who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and retained by President Biden.
He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 12, 2018 and told lawmakers, he would ensure that the agency is 'impartial and non-biased from top to bottom' and follows the law."
Rettig has also stood up for privacy of IRS data and was chided by member of Congress in 2019 for not turning over then-President Donald Trump's tax returns.
Rettig’s term will expire November 12, 2022.
