In case people still wonder about the facts, it is approx 87,000 workers that the Treasury Dept plans for. But:
1. This over a decade. And over that decade, more than 50,000 employees are expected to leave/retire.
2. Not all (or even most?) will be auditors.
3. Less than 3% of force is in the crim investigation division, the only one allowed to carry guns.
New U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) hires over the next decade will mainly replace retiring Baby Boomers, answer taxpayer questions and program new computers, U.S. Treasury officials and tax experts said, responding to Republican claims that the IRS will recruit 87,000 new agents to harass...
www.reuters.com
(also see WSJ Weekend Tax Report in the Exchange Section).