Two Texas cattle ranchers have spoken out to issue a dire warning to middle-class Americans after they suffered a brutal audit by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The warning comes after President Joe Biden’s signed the Democrats’ massive tax and spending bill, the “Inflation Reduction Act,” into law on Tuesday.
The bill allows provisions for approximately $80 billion in IRS funding, a majority of which is dedicated to enforcement.
As Slay News reported, the IRS is advertising for agents that are “willing to use deadly force.”
Meanwhile, images have emerged showing IRS agents training to raid suburban homes.
Ranchers David and Deborah Hajda run the Raising Five Cattle Company.
On Tuesday, they spoke with Dana Perino on “America’s Newsroom” and recounted the grueling tax audit they experienced 13 years ago.
“We got audited over basically a $7,800 engine rebuild on a very old tractor,” Deborah said.
“They just basically said this was a red flag, and we’re going to audit you, and we’re coming to your house,” she added.
Hajda said she asked if she could fax her bank records to the IRS, but they refused to give her the option. Instead, they came to her house and demanded all of her financial records in person.
“I took out our box of receipts… and we handed it to him, and I said ‘Here’s your receipts’… we weren’t hiding anything,” she said.
Perino asked if the IRS agent sought out the ranchers simply to fill a quota.
“Probably. They said they flagged it because our expenses were high that year, and it was because of this repair,” David responded.
The Hajdas said, while they could not afford to replace the tractor, they kept all records of expenses for the necessary repairs. However, the auditor would not give up so easily.
“He wasn’t satisfied. He kept digging, and he ended up nailing us. Our tax person was giving us 80% on our work vehicles, and he said you can only do 50%,” David said.
“I was very naive about the situation,” Deborah said.
“I had no idea of the power, the scope [of the audit] going in three years of my life… and me having no control over that, no control over the information he was given.
“It was very invasive. You feel very attacked because that guy wanted to go back and say, ‘I got her.’”
She went on to issue a warning to other middle-class Americans who could soon endure the same process.
“They want to get you. If they’re coming after you for an audit, they don’t want to see your receipt… they want to nitpick your life apart, and that’s not what the American dream is for self-employment, small business…”
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