From Auctioneer to IRS Chief: What the Billy Long Era Means for Your Clients

Only in American politics can you go from auctioneer to IRS Commissioner.

Billy Long’s path to the top job at the IRS is… unconventional. Which means for professionals trying to help clients resolve tax issues, it’s worth paying close attention to.

This isn’t just a personnel change—it may be a signal of how the IRS is going to operate in the years ahead.

When you’ve got clients whose lives and livelihoods are affected by tax debt, understanding where things are headed isn’t optional—it’s essential.

4 Big Shifts We’re Watching

1. An Unlikely Commissioner with Private Sector Ideas

Long’s not a typical tax guy. He’s not a CPA. He’s not a tax attorney. He doesn’t have a background in accounting, audit, or tax law. He did have a long run as a U.S. Congressman from Missouri, but aside from that, he has real estate licenses, a radio past, and a career as an auctioneer.

He wants to eliminate IRS programs he thinks are “wasteful” and run the agency more like a business.

Do we know anything about how he's going to run the IRS as commissioner?

Maybe.

Long has positioned himself as a no-nonsense, cost-cutting, “run-it-like-a-business” type of guy. And for a government agency that’s long been criticized for inefficiency, red tape, and outdated systems, this (his rhetoric at least) is welcome.

He wants to modernize the IRS by applying private sector practices. He’s pushing a vision that focuses on streamlining operations, cutting overhead, and using data and technology to automate enforcement.

If Long delivers on his vision, this isn’t just a change in leadership—it’s a shift in DNA.

Whether that’s good or bad? We’ll see. But if changes are abound, it means changes in how the IRS prioritizes resources, evaluates value, and handles taxpayer touchpoints.

2. AI and Automation Are Coming (Allegedly)

Insiders report that artificial intelligence will increasingly be used to identify audit targets, evaluate tax return discrepancies, and flag risk. The IRS sees this as a solution to staffing cuts (20% by 2026, per the Journal of Accountancy) and a path to greater efficiency.

But here's the problem: automation doesn't ask follow-up questions. It doesn’t consider nuance. And when a machine makes the decision to garnish wages or freeze accounts, that's a real-life crisis for your client. You can't talk to the machines.

Is there going to be anyone at the IRS to help?

3. New Research: Tax Audits Aren’t Working Like They Should

A recent study in Contemporary Accounting Research dug into how corporate tax executives experience audits—and the feedback wasn't surprising if you've been in the thick of it every day like me.

Here’s what stood out:

• Respondents described audits as redundant, inefficient, and often driven by a mindset more aligned with law enforcement than effective financial review.

• Taxpayers push back harder when audits feel unfair. That emotional component matters. When taxpayers feel targeted or stonewalled, they appeal. That clogs the system, prolongs resolution, and ties up resources—without producing better outcomes.

• Executives openly share agent reviews. In other words, the IRS isn’t operating in a vacuum. Taxpayers are comparing notes, entering the audit with pre conceived notiions and planning accordingly.

For professionals working with clients in tax trouble, this means more adversarial audits, longer timelines, and rising distrust in the system.

4. The Future of IRS Audits Will Depend on People—Not Just Technology

While much of the conversation around IRS modernization focuses on technology and automation, a key insight from the recent research is this: the real difference starts with the humans.

Specifically, the tone, training, and experience of IRS auditors...

In the course of the study, corporate executives they spoke to cited wide disparities in the knowledge, demeanor, and judgment of U.S. auditors—and those differences often shaped how audits played out.

When auditors were undertrained or overly aggressive, it soured the entire process. When they were fair and competent, the experience was smoother and more productive.

The lesson? Technology can help. Automation can speed things up. But without investing in experienced, well-trained employees—and fostering a better working relationship between tax authorities and taxpayers—true reform won’t work.

If the IRS wants to deliver better audit outcomes, it needs to rely on more than software. It needs better people—and a smarter way of doing business.

TL;DR:

⏩ Billy Long is now leading the IRS—despite lacking formal tax credentials.

⏩ The IRS is moving toward automation and AI-driven audits.

⏩ Recent research shows IRS audits are inefficient and antagonistic.

⏩ Taxpayers push back more when audits feel unfair—dragging out cases and consuming resources.

⏩ The IRS could improve by investing in training and working on smoothing over volatile relationships between auditors and taxpayers and/or their representation.

Let's Talk....

➤ As AI takes over more of the IRS’s processes, what challenges—or opportunities—do you see happening?