The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) operates inside an archaic...

Editor's note: ...system that forces millions of Americans to act as unpaid accountants every year. Instead of sending taxpayers a completed return using income data it already has, the government makes citizens navigate a bloated, confusing tax code, or pay private companies to do it for them. When the IRS touts bigger refunds, it's not proof of efficiency; it's proof people overpaid and are begging for their own money (it's not "their" money; they only use US dollars) back. The structure is outdated, unequal, and wasteful, draining time, energy, and billions in compliance costs (see The reported scandal within the IRS) from ordinary Americans. When the IRS highlights rising refunds as a success metric, it underscores the system's deeper dysfunction: refunds are not evidence of efficiency, but proof that people overpaid throughout the year and must now request their own money back. Meanwhile, outdated infrastructure, political gridlock, and reliance on private software vendors preserve a structure that consumes time, money, and mental bandwidth. Within the IRS's budget of $18.2 billion (FY 2024), the largest single category is employee compensation (salaries and benefits) that came in at roughly $6.1 billion reported in early 2025. The next time you sign your tax contract (out of fear) from the IRS think about that for a moment.

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'I'll See You In Federal Prison' Self-Employed American Goes To War With The IRS Over $52

By Grant Mercer | February 24, 2026

BRIEFING

Grant here. If you needed more evidence that the IRS has become a bloated, disorganized system, look no further than this story here. You know, most taxpayers assume serious IRS enforcement is reserved for big forms of fraud. But, as it turns out, even a discrepancy as small as $52 can land you in federal prison. Let's break it down.

In a now-viral clip, a self-employed business owner describes what started as a routine tax season. She says her accountant filed everything correctly and that she mailed payments to the federal, state, and local governments as required.

But then, the ominous IRS letters started flowing in…

According to her account, the IRS flagged a $52 balance, which she believes is an error and does not owe. So after her failure to pay, what followed was a routine but ridiculous escalation pattern. We’re talking multiple notices, certified mail, and increasingly serious language like mentioning federal prison.

The best part of all of this is that this woman is by no means intimidated. She's standing her ground and basically daring the IRS to come after her for $52, especially as our government allowed Somalian migrants in Minnesota to defraud the state for billions.

SOURCE

American business owner did her taxes, she used an accountant and everything is correct. She mailed the checks to the federal, state and local government

The IRS says she owes $52. She doesn't

The IRS has sent 10+ letters, even certified mail taped to her door coming after her for this $52. Now they're sending threatening letters

"Threatening me that now — You will sooner find me in federal prison than see me pay $52 unexplained dollars. And there's some Somalis, Somalians, whatever the they are. In Minnesota taking 8 billion. I think I just saw a thing that it's up to $9 billion in fraud. And you're coming after me, an American business owner, for $52.

I will see you guys in federal prison."

 

American business owner did her taxes, she used an accountant and everything is correct. She mailed the checks to the federal, state and local government

The IRS says she owes $52. She doesn’t

The IRS has sent 10+ letters, even certified mail taped to her door coming after her… pic.twitter.com/AtMw5SpziI

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) February 19, 2026

DEBRIEFING

Certainly part of what we're seeing here is just the IRS’s automated compliance system, which is designed to chase discrepancies wherever they appear, large or small. But still, in cases like these, they highlight the growing perception gap between how the enforcement pipeline operates internally and how it feels to the individual on the receiving end of the letters.

Continue reading...

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The IRS is "doing a good job," Mr. President? Or were you referring to DOGE "doing a good job" in cutting out like metastasized cancer bloated government? When IRS employees are alleged to owe $50 million in unpaid taxes?