The IRS Is at a Tipping Point: Under Attack, Distrusted, and Underfunded

Week after week, Republicans on Capitol Hill have ratcheted up their drumbeat of discontent with the Internal Revenue Service, alleging that it targeted conservative groups and can’t be trusted. Six investigations are underway, ensuring the matter will drag on for months or years.

But there is a bigger question about America’s least-loved federal agency that barely gets asked: Is the IRS, which collects 90 percent of the nation’s revenue, up to the basics of its job? The surprising answer is that it often is not.

A Globe review of dozens of government reports and audits, as well as interviews with key officials, found a series of fundamental problems:

The IRS makes billions of dollars in potentially fraudulent payments because it lacks the ability to check whether many returns are accurate before refunds are mailed.

And these same people are the gatekeepers to your health. The IRS is in charge of ObamaCare.