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Lily Batchelder

@lilybatch.bsky.social
1.5K followers 112 following 84 posts

Kopple Family Professor, NYU Law. Faculty Director @taxlawcenter.org. Former Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at Treasury; Deputy Director, National Economic Council; Chief Tax Counsel, Senate Finance Committee.

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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
My new piece in Democracy on why Congress should repeal expensing and move back toward economic depreciation for large businesses, as was the law for most of the income tax’s history. Could raise ~$2 trillion over 10 years. Here’s 4 reasons why: 1/17 democracyjournal.org/magazine/81/...
democracyjournal.org
Expensing—Not Worth the Expense
Last year’s giant tax bill established something unprecedented in the history of the income tax, which sounds dryly technical and thus unobjectionable. It’s called permanent “expensing,” and it allows...
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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Has Mitt Romney been reading the @taxlawcenter.org Tealbook of options to broaden the tax base? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Mitt Romney: Tax the Rich, Like Me
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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
THREAD: GOP Senators say they're trying to scale back the SALT cap relief in the House bill. But could the approach to SALT in the Senate bill actually end up *more* generous & costly overall than the House bill? Do Senators – or does anyone – even know, despite the intense political focus on SALT?
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
New JCT distributional estimates of proposed tax changes by the Senate Finance Committee. Compared to current law, the bill heavily skews benefits to the wealthy as a share of after-tax income. 1/
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The Tax Law Center at NYU Law @taxlawcenter.org · 03/06/2025
Full recording of our discussion on risks to taxpayer privacy from DOGE & related efforts featuring Daniel Werfel, Lily Batchelder, Brandon DeBot, Elizabeth Laird, and David Padrino nyu.zoom.us/rec/share/IF...
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Looking forward to this discussion starting at 1:30 with Danny Werfel and cybersecurity, IT modernization, and tax policy experts!
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
On June 3, I'm moderating a panel for the @taxlawcenter.org on the privacy risks of unprecedented access / sharing of taxpayer data across government. We'll hear from Former IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel plus Brandon DeBot, Elizabeth Laird & David Padrino. Please join! nyu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
nyu.zoom.us
Register for Webinar: Understanding Risks to Taxpayer Privacy
Please join the Tax Law Center for a virtual discussion of the legal, privacy, and cybersecurity risks of unprecedented efforts to access, use, and share taxpayer data across government for purposes f...
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Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
New @centeronbudget.bsky.social analysis of the draft GOP tax plan released yesterday: Unsurprisingly, it provides enormous tax cuts for the wealthy—including an average annual $65k cut for the top 1%—while doing little for low- and moderate-income families in 2027 (and even less by 2029).
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
The President just effectively signed a statement that he is committing a crime, violating a criminal statute enacted with overwhelming bipartisan majorities (it passed 96-2 in the Senate). Here is the law and his post. 1/3
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Harvard may not be at the top of most people’s list of favorite charitable causes, but if the President’s and WH's unlawful interference in IRS actions regarding specific TPs and charities isn’t stopped, it means he or any president can come for your church or community group.
washingtonpost.com
Harvard sues the Trump administration in escalating confrontation
Lawsuit argues that government actions, including freezing $2.2 billion in federal funding, violated the First Amendment and didn’t follow legal procedures.
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
The silence from Republican lawmakers re: Trump’s suggestions that IRS audit specific tax exempt orgs is deafening. Here’s a short history of how Rs and Ds responded to prior IRS reviews of tax exempts when *no* political appointees, let alone the President, were interfering. 1/
politico.com
Trump eyes targeting more tax-exempt groups while denouncing Harvard
President Donald Trump defended his administration's moves to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status and suggested more organizations could be in the IRS's crosshairs.
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Sharing this letter with my colleagues on the @nyulaw faculty. We have very different views on what the law is and should be, but share deep concern about this Administration’s attacks on the independence of academic institutions, lawyers, and judges. drive.google.com/file/d/1yysJ...
drive.google.com
NYU LAW FACULTY LETTER_041725.pdf
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
This is a profound undermining of the rule of law. All Americans should be very worried about what it would mean for the President and his advisors to be able to target audits for political reasons on the nonprofits in their lives, whether a small congregation or a day care center. 1/3
cnn.com
IRS making plans to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status | CNN Politics
The Internal Revenue Service is making plans to rescind the tax-exempt status of Harvard University, according to two sources familiar with the matter, which would be an extraordinary step of retaliat...
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
What could possibly go wrong? 🤔 “Corcos has discussed plans for DOGE to build ‘one new API to rule them all… A ‘mega API’ could potentially allow someone with access to export all IRS data to the systems of their choosing, including private entities.” www.wired.com/story/doge-h...
wired.com
DOGE Is Planning a Hackathon at the IRS. It Wants Easier Access to Taxpayer Data
DOGE operatives have repeatedly referred to the software company Palantir as a possible partner in creating a “mega API” at the IRS, sources tell WIRED.
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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
1/ IRS officials are reportedly "aghast" at this request; all taxpayers should be, too. On Friday, before @jacobbogage.bsky.social broke this news about the escalation of the request @taxlawcenter.org explained one of many reasons why it could harm taxpayer rights: taxlawcenter.org/blog/irs-dhs...
taxlawcenter.org
IRS-DHS Agreement to Share Taxpayer Information Would Create Significant Risks to All Taxpayers
The reportedly imminent IRS-DHS data-sharing agreement, under which the IRS would confirm addresses of taxpayers that DHS is targeting for immigration enforcement, poses significant risks of data erro...
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The Tax Law Center at NYU Law @taxlawcenter.org · 04/04/2025
On 4/9, join us for a conversation about DOGE & the administrative state, featuring former Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Tax Law Center experts including former OMB Director Shalanda Young and professors @lilybatch.bsky.social & @davidkamin.bsky.social taxlawcenter.org/events/nyu-l...
taxlawcenter.org
NYU Law Forum | The DOGE Era: Impoundment, Data Privacy, and the Administrative State
Join the NYU Law Forum for a conversation about DOGE and the administrative state, including impoundment and data privacy issues. The conversation will feature Former Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally A...
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
A great explanation of why it is such a big deal and bad idea to allow DOGE access to access tax data in unprecedented ways it is demanding (in addition to violating the law as far as we can tell based on reporting) news.bloombergtax.com/tax-insights...
news.bloombergtax.com
DOGE Getting IRS Data Like Giving Custodians Vault Keys: Werfel
Former IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel explains why remaining IRS officials must closely question why DOGE staffers want access to IRS taxpayer data.
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Rich Prisinzano @richpriz.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
My group at @budgetlab.bsky.social has some good work out this morning on IRS funding and the forgone revenue of the IRS cuts the workforce by 50K workers: budgetlab.yale.edu/research/rev...
budgetlab.yale.edu
The Revenue and Distributional Effects of IRS Funding
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David Kamin @davidkamin.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
The giant cut in IRS is effectively a tax cut disproportionately for top of income spectrum and done in worst possible way-a reward to aggressive tax positions and lawbreaking-and demoting top lawyer risks IRS itself not following the laws on the books. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
Top IRS lawyer pushed aside as DOGE seeks records and 20 percent staff cuts
The acting chief counsel of the IRS has been removed from his position as Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service seeks access to sensitive taxpayer records, according to people familiar with the matter.
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Martha Gimbel @marthagimbel.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
There’s been a lot of talk recently about cutting funding and staffing at the IRS. New work from the Budget Lab shows that if the IRS shrinks by 50% we estimate that this would result in 350 billion net forgone revenue over the 10-year budget window. 1/ @budgetlab.bsky.social
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
More on Trump administration efforts to replace/override top IRS lawyers raising strong concerns that DOGE push for extraordinarily broad access to, and sharing of, confidential taxpayer information is not authorized by the law. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Top IRS Lawyer Set to Be Demoted Amid Taxpayer Data-Sharing Clash
The move could make it easier for the tax agency to share its trove of confidential taxpayer data with others in the government.
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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
The series of IRS officials who have put the law above their personal job security join a line of public servants - stretching back to Treasury and IRS leaders during the Nixon era - who have resisted unlawful attempts by elected officials to weaponize taxpayer data and systems.
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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
IRS staff are right to be concerned (as story reports): officials who disclose taxpayer data outside the bounds of the law are exposed to potential criminal and civil liability.
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Chye-Ching Huang @dashching.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
If the Administration’s new appointee for the top IRS lawyer accedes to DOGE requests for extraordinarily broad access to confidential taxpayer information despite the law, taxpayers’ data and their rights will be at risk of large-scale breach and abuse.
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Bill Paul is an extraordinary public servant who served as Acting Chief Counsel under 3 administrations, including Trump I. I fear what this signals given DOGE’s push for IRS to approve extraordinarily broad sharing of taxpayers’ confidential data across federal agencies. 1/3
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Deeply troubling allegations that DOGE affiliates were hastily given access to broad data systems at SSA containing highly sensitive tax data, and that DOGE affiliates were not following standard security safeguards for that info 1/4 www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Former Social Security official describes hostile takeover by Musk team
DOGE officials also put millions of taxpayers’ private data at risk and refused to say why they needed access to it, the official says.
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Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
The Social Security angle: the IRS collects payroll taxes, too. You know, the $$$ that pays for the Social Security benefits you know & love. In fact, 3/4 taxpayers pay more in payroll taxes than income taxes. Obviously they’re trying to help rich tax cheats. But this hurts Social Security, too.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
We have research on this Chart below understates ROI of IRS enforcement, as it excludes deterrence effects Post-audit, noncompliant taxpayers start paying much more in taxes voluntarily. These additional taxes =3x revenue raised from initial audit, on avg, over next 14 yrs bsky.app/profile/cram...
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Hard to overstate the idiocy of such a decision. This will worsen taxpayer customer service. And it will INCREASE deficits.
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Laying off nearly 50K public servants at the IRS would be an unlawful and reckless violation of Congress’s decision to fund the agency at a level that it thinks is necessary to adequately administer the tax law. 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Pushes to Slash I.R.S. Work Force in Half
Losing half of its employees would severely strap the I.R.S., meaning Americans may have to wait longer to receive tax refunds.
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
DOGE is reportedly demanding IRS share highly sensitive taxpayer data w/multiple agencies. I don’t see how this abides by bipartisan laws that balance the benefits of responsible data sharing against the risks to taxpayers through careful limits and guardrails. 1/4 medium.com/@taxlawcente...
medium.com
DOGE Efforts Create Major Risks for Taxpayers–and May Generate Criminal and Civil Penalties
By: The Tax Law Center
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Former IRS Commissioners serving under every President going back to Reagan, including Trump: The mass, indiscriminate firings at the IRS will increase deficits, risk filing season disruptions, and shift tax burdens from tax cheats on to honest taxpayers. 1/4 www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Just Fired 6,700 I.R.S. Workers in the Middle of Tax Season. That’s a Huge Mistake.
The Trump administration’s decision to fire over 6,000 I.R.S. workers will make the government less effective and less efficient, not more.
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
I remain deeply concerned about DOGE’s access to IRS data. It is still unclear what data is being shared, whether it is adequately anonymized, and what protections are in place to guard against WH interference in individual enforcement decisions. More from @TaxLawCenterNYU: 1/4
medium.com
DOGE Access to Tax Data and Systems Creates Major Risks for Taxpayers — and May Carry Criminal and…
By: The Tax Law Center
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Important story on IRS layoffs. A few additions: Last year IRS sent over 120 million refunds. There is a major risk Americans’ refunds could be late or wrong when you indiscriminately fire thousands of employees in the middle of the filing season. 1/5 www.cbsnews.com/video/irs-em...
cbsnews.com
IRS employee among those fired by Trump during tax season speaks out
President Trump is eliminating more than 6,700 at the Internal Revenue Service at the height of tax season. Nancy Cordes looks at the impact of the cuts on the workers and Americans who depend on them...
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
A few further thoughts on DOGE accessing the IDRS database at the IRS: I led the Treasury Office of Tax Policy and have spoken to a number of former career and political appointees at Treasury and IRS. None can recall a political appointee ever having access to this database. 1/5
washingtonpost.com
Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data, raising alarm at IRS
Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data at IRS
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Lily Batchelder @lilybatch.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
This is deeply concerning. I’m unaware of any instance of political appointees at Treasury or IRS having access to this database. I didn’t and the political appointees on my team did not. 1/3 www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data, raising alarm at IRS
Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data at IRS
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