BREAKING: US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says President Trump’s goal is to abolish the IRS.
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) February 20, 2025
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently revealed that President Trump aims to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Instead, Trump wants to create an External Revenue Service (ERS) that would focus on collecting revenue from tariffs and other foreign trade-related sources. This move is part of Trump’s broader tax reform agenda, which seeks to shift the tax burden away from U.S. citizens and onto foreign nations.
Lutnick mentioned this during an interview on Fox News, explaining that the goal is to let “all the outsiders pay” instead of taxing American citizens. Trump has previously stated that he wants foreign trade partners to “finally pay their share” through tariffs and duties.
NEW: The Internal Revenue Service will begin laying off roughly 6,000 employees on Thursday as part of the Trump administration’s push to downsize the federal work force, three people familiar with the agency’s plans said. w/@aduehren https://t.co/gBHfhZBBRX
— Michael S. Schmidt (@nytmike) February 19, 2025
Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trumps-goal-abolish-irs-howard-lutnick-2033609
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/20/commerce-secretary-lutnick-irs-abolish
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/us/politics/irs-layoffs.html