Billy Long, Trump nominee for IRS Commissioner, is comically unqualified

Billy Long is perhaps the most unqualified Trump nominee so far. Yes, that's a bold statement, but hear me out! Trump wants Long to head the IRS. He has zero experience running large entities (the IRS has 80,000 employees) and is almost completely ignorant about taxes. Worse, he was advising taxpayers about Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC), which has been awash in fraud. This could be a serious big deal.

I'm a tax pro and Enrolled Agent. ERTC fraud has resulted in massive investigations, disallowing of credits, as well as criminal prosecution. It's a huge and continuing issue.

For the start of the annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams, the IRS spotlighted Employee Retention Credits following blatant attempts by promoters to con ineligible people to claim the credit. Renewing several earlier alerts, the IRS highlighted schemes from promoters who have been blasting ads on radio and the internet touting refunds involving Employee Retention Credits, also known as ERCs. These promotions can be based on inaccurate information related to eligibility for and computation of the credit.

Billy Long was a private advisor about ERTC. Democratic senators want to know exactly what he did, how he benefited, and if any credits were disallowed.

Dems want answers on Billy Long's tax credit work
Trump's pick to head the IRS has touted a pandemic-era tax break that the agency has struggled in rein in.

Senate Democratic tax writers are demanding more details about former Rep. Billy Long's work promoting a troubled pandemic era tax credit for businesses as they consider his possible nomination to head the IRS.

In a pair of letters to companies Long (R-Mo.) said he worked with, the lawmakers want to know how much money he made promoting the Employee Retention Credit, how many claims they filed, whether any clients ended up getting audited and if any applications were deemed improper or fraudulent, among other things.

Long has no tax credentials, just some silly little certificate he got in three days after training. I will add, as a tax adviser, he did not have to prepare or sign a return, only tell the taxpayer what to do. As a tax pro, my name is on a return. His is not.

Billy Long, Trump’s Nominee to Lead the IRS, Touts a Credential That Tax Experts Say Is Dubious

The former representative from Missouri, who once pushed to abolish the IRS, has marketed himself as a certified tax and business advisor after attending only a three-day seminar

Long may be completely blameless on ERTC. His confirmation hearing will, however, probably be explosive. Even if he is blameless, his utter lack of experience in running large entities coupled with his dismal lack of tax knowledge disqualifies him from being confirmed.