Identity thieves, using the IRS website to gain access to information on 104,000 taxpayers, filed fake tax returns and collected as much as $50 million in refunds.
Republicans in Congress who came to power pledging tight-fisted budgeting are going on a tax-cut and spending binge that would boost federal deficits by a half-trillion dollars.
The tax agency, which is shrinking amid budget cuts, conducted 57,211 business audits in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 compared with 61,020 a year earlier, according to statistics released Monday.