IRS puts out fresh job ad for hundreds of armed agents

The taxman is coming, and he’s locked and loaded.

The Internal Revenue Service is looking for more than 350 employees willing to — if necessary — terminate their fellow Americans.

A job posting on the agency’s website for a “criminal investigator” position is looking for would-be agents to investigate “potential criminal violations” of the tax code in a manner “that fosters confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law.”

Under the “major duties” section of the listing, the IRS noted that applicants must be willing to “carry a firearm; must be prepared to protect him/herself or others from physical attacks at any time and without warning and use firearms in life-threatening situations; must be willing to use force up to and including the use of deadly force.”

Applicants also must be willing to carry out their duties for “a minimum of 50 hours per week, which may include irregular hours” and be on call to bring the heat “24/7, including holidays and weekends.”

According to USAJobs.gov, the IRS — which drew online uproar with a similar posting last year — opened its latest hiring spree on Feb. 15 and is looking for 360 criminal investigators based in all 50 states, offering a max salary of just over $94,000 per year.

The agency appears to be placing a special focus on Texas, where it’s hiring staffers for 20 different locations.

California, where the agency is hiring for 18 locations, places second on the list, while New York and Florida tie for third, with the agency hiring for 13 sites in each. (Neither Texas nor Florida has a state income tax — confirming enforcement there will be on a strictly federal basis.)

President Biden provided the IRS with more than $80 billion in new funding as part of the $739 billion Inflation Reduction Act he signed in August.

The agency said in a 2021 Treasury report that it required the $80 billion to hire 86,852 new employees over the next 10 years, leading to criticism from conservatives who have suggested the funding would be used predominantly to crack down on low and middle-income Americans.

The IRS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.