Regulators say the e-commerce giant forced more than a million advertisers to pay more than they should have. The company denies the claims.
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IRS audit revenue plummets as Amazon ad revenue inflates
IRS audit revenue plummets—watchdog’s record, hon—and Amazon’s ad prices inflate, per the FTC and 22 states. Both sides of the ledger drift: the public’s take falls, the private take rises. The gap sits in the receipts: the audit’s decline (not a surprise, not a crisis, just a number) and the ad’s inflation (not a secret, not a crisis, just a markup). The question is not who’s surprised, but who’s paid. The audit line moves down, the ad line moves up, and the middle is the missing dollar. Reconciliation is not accusation: the receipts show a transfer, not a theft. The column runs longer—but the summary is honest. The audit’s drop is the story, and the inflation is its shadow. The taxman’s desk is emptier, and Amazon’s is fuller. That’s the gap, not the crisis.
“IRS audit money drops out while Amazon’s ad profits go up—two lines, same ledger. The taxman’s gone where the cash is, and it’s not yours.”
“IRS audits are down, but that’s just efficiency—no need to chase the big guys. Amazon’s revenue shows the market works. Wait, did I say that? It’s not about the profits, it’s about fairness. Actually, scratch that, we’re focused on growth, not audits. Right?”
The receipts
The I.R.S. lost roughly a quarter of its employees since President Trump took office, hampering the agency’s ability to conduct audits.
More than 1 million advertisers were affected, the suit says. The online retailer says the Federal Trade Commission’s claim “fundamentally misunderstands” how its ads work.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.