IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel joined Congressman Bennie Thompson, Mayor Errick Simmons, and Washington County Board of Supervisors President Carl McGee on Tuesday morning to announce the expansion of IRS jobs across the Mississippi Delta.
Acting as Master of Ceremonies, Mayor Simmons opened the event by welcoming the guests.
“It is with great pride and enthusiasm that I welcome Congressman Bennie G. Thompson and IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel to Greenville, Mississippi,” Simmons said. “Congressman Thompson your leadership continues to inspire us all, and we are grateful for the strong voice you bring to Washington on behalf of our region.”
Simmons then turned his attention to the IRS Commissioner.
“Commissioner Werfel, it is a privilege to welcome you to Greenville. Your leadership at the IRS is crucial to ensuring that our tax system is fair, efficient, and accessible to all Americans. We look forward to discussing how we can work together to enhance the economic vitality of Greenville and support our citizens in understanding and navigating the tax system. Thanks to you and the Biden-Harris Administration for your continued support of rural communities by investing federal monies in the areas that need it the most.”
Before introducing McGee, Simmons said he was hopeful of what this discussion could mean for the Delta.
“We are excited about the possibilities that this visit holds,” Simmons said. “We look forward to a productive discussions that will benefit our city and its people,”
McGee, representing the 47,000 citizens of Washington County, welcomed Thompson and Werfel, saying he was glad to have them in Greenville.
“Commissioner, normally I’d be sweating when talking to someone from the IRS, but today I’m good,” McGee said. “Maybe in a little while, I’ll start sweating, but right now I’m good.”
Justin Burch, CEO of the Washington County Economic Alliance (WCEA), welcomed the officials.
He also joked with the commissioner as McGee had about his recent tax payment.
“I think I wrote you a beautiful $8,000 check this year.” Burch said, “But as it says on your building, taxes are what we pay for a civil society, so I’m glad I get to live in one of those.”
Burch told the crowd he was proud of the progress in Washington County that his foundation and its partners like Delta Compass have made in empowering Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) business owners
“43.9% of businesses in Washington County are BIPOC owned,” Burch said. “Compared to 28% across Mississippi, and 11.3% nationwide.”
Congressman Thompson came to the podium next and wasted little time getting straight to the point of the discussion.
“We’re here for a good reason,” Thompson said. “A lot of things have been going on that people have been asking questions about, and we've kind of kept it a secret, but there are no secrets in the Delta, you tell one person, you come back the next day, and everybody knows.”
Thompson explained that the expansion of IRS jobs into the Mississippi Delta was made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The Act was signed by the Biden/Harris administration in 2022 and gives $80 billion over ten years to the IRS to grow its workforce.
“Now, the good part is that we are able to bring good government jobs to Greenville. You don’t have to go to New Orleans or Atlanta or any other place,” Thompson said. “Those same jobs will be here, paying pretty much the same money as the salary schedule, so that means that people who thought about leaving can now think about staying.”
Thompson said the IRS chose to bring jobs to places like Greenville because they wanted to make a real difference in communities that usually don’t get these opportunities.
“Because of the IRS's vision to say, well, why would we want to put more employees into those big cities when we can push those employees out and make an impact in those communities that we otherwise wouldn't have,” Thompson said. “We have technology now."
Werfel began with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) by saying how important and underutilized it was.
"Let me start by saying, the earned income tax credit is, in my opinion, one of the most important areas, it's very impactful, and today, more than 5 million Americans are eligible, but they aren’t claiming it," Werfel said. "So part of the work that needs to happen here and around the country is closing that gap. People aren’t claiming it because they’re scared of the IRS, and we have to change that perception."
The discussion turned to audits, and Thompson said the audits seem to target people with low income, but that’s going to stop.
"Humphreys County, Mississippi, has the highest percentage of earned income tax credit citizens living in that county, the reverse of that is it also has the highest percentage of people audited by the Internal Revenue Service in that county,” Thompson said. “Now, an earned income tax credit means that the government gives you a check because your income is so low, and we couldn't figure out, how in the world are you going to audit folks who are not making enough money to make ends meet, that you've got to give them a check, well, the Treasury person looked at this and said, you're right, so we now have a different approach.”
Thompson said now if you make above $400,000 you might have to explain that.
“You have a greater chance of getting audited,” Thompson said. “But, if you make more than $400,000, you can stand the audit."
Werfel said the plan moving forward is to create a level playing field for taxpayers.
"Our focus has been, as we've been hiring and training new accountants and auditors to make sure there's fairness in our tax system," Werfel said. "The more trained they become, the more passionate they become about our mission of serving and helping taxpayers, and we'll get our job done, So a place like Greenville and others in the Delta area, it’s just a perfect match for what we're seeking to do to better serve taxpayers."
