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Washington, D.C.—Today’s release of the 2015 IRS Data Book details the loss of 17,600 fulltime Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees since 2010, more evidence of how continued underfunding of the IRS erodes its ability to serve taxpayers.

The annual publication shows that permanent IRS staffing fell from 92,148 in fiscal 2010 to 74,580 in 2015, a 19 percent decline in staffing. At the same time, the number of returns filed grew by more than 10 million from 153 million in 2010 to 163 million in 2015.

“Without an infusion of funding, the health of the IRS will continue to decline,” said NTEU National President Tony Reardon. “The ongoing deterioration of the IRS workforce prevents the IRS from offering the level of service taxpayers deserve, from aggressively curbing tax fraud and from effectively enforcing tax laws authored by Congress.”

NTEU supports the White House’s proposed budget for 2017 which would give the IRS $12.28 billion—an increase of about $1 billion over the current level—would allow the IRS to ramp up its customer service operations and begin rebuilding its workforce. The budget request includes $48.5 million to improve taxpayer service and an additional $90 million to prevent identity theft and refund fraud.

For fiscal 2016, Congress provided the IRS with an additional $290 million for taxpayer service, cybersecurity and identity theft efforts. The IRS was able to hire an additional 1,000 temporary employees to help answer phones and realized an immediate improvement in service levels this filing season, however, later this year, those employees will be let go and phone service levels are expected to decline again.

The Data Book also recorded a loss of more than 6,000 enforcement personnel, revenue agents and revenue officers who perform audits and collection activities, since 2010.

“Without a long-term funding solution, it’s a bit like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,” Reardon stated. “Our voluntary tax compliance system is at risk. And, as the IRS Commissioner has repeatedly noted, a simple 1 percent decline in the compliance rate translates into $30 billion in lost revenue for the government.”

In a speech at the National Press Club last week, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said that people voluntarily pay their taxes when they believe in the inherent fairness of the tax system. Our tax system is at risk if taxpayers cannot receive the assistance they need to be compliant or tax cheats believe they will not get caught, he said.

“Our country depends on an efficient and effective tax collection system to fund our national defense, education and all of the other services our citizens expect from their government,” said Reardon. “That cannot be accomplished with far fewer employees than there were 20 years ago.”

NTEU represents 150,000 front-line employees at the IRS and 30 other agencies and departments.