Self: 'Tens of thousands of Joe Biden's IRS agents are coming after America's working class'

Keith Self, a candidate for Congress in Texas' 3rd Congressional District, has indicated his support for a bill that would block the use of funds to "build an army of tax SWAT teams," according to a press release from the Stand For Freedom PAC. The legislation is authored by Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks, and is intended to be a response to the $80 billion allocated for the IRS in the Inflation Reduction Act passed earlier this year, which is to be used to hire new IRS personnel and increase enforcement.

According to his campaign website, Self is a U.S. Army veteran, graduating from West Point in 1975 and retiring in 2006. After his retirement from the Army, he was elected county judge in Collin County, Texas. Self faces Democrat Sandeep Srivastava.

"Tens of thousands of Joe Biden's IRS Agents are coming after America's working class! Keith Self will stop them!" Self said in video posted to Facebook on Oct. 13.

The Stand For Freedom PAC lauded Self's pledge to back Banks' legislation, specifically highlighting concerns over the additions of "IRS adding tens of thousands of new agents, with $46 billion specifically targeted for increased enforcement."

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the administration’s plan to increase funding to hire additional IRS staff would result in approximately $200 billion of additional tax revenue over 10 years from heightened tax enforcement activities.

According to the Senate Joint Committee on Taxation, increased tax enforcement activities would have a greater impact on those making $50,000 a year or less with over 50% of the projected revenue raised coming from taxpayers in that income bracket. The report also suggested that only about 4% to 9% of the additional tax revenue collected would come from those making $500,000 a year or more.

In place of funding for 87,000 new IRS staff, Banks’ filed legislation would make permanent and increase the standard deduction tax break from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. According to the bill, beginning in 2023 the deductions would be set at $14,025 for individuals, $21,060 for heads of households and $28,050 for families and would increase by inflation every fiscal year.

According to the Tax Foundation, an increase to the standard deduction would equate to a significant annual tax decrease for middle-class Americans.