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The Secret IRS Files

Inside the Tax Records of the .001%

A massive trove of tax information obtained by ProPublica, covering thousands of America’s wealthiest individuals, reveals what’s inside the billionaires’ bag of tricks for minimizing their personal tax bills — sometimes to nothing.

Impact of Our Reporting
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The Secret IRS Files

Sports Team Owners Face New Scrutiny From IRS Over Tax Avoidance

A new campaign by the tax agency comes after ProPublica revealed how billionaires generate what can be hundreds of millions in tax savings by purchasing professional sports teams.

The Inside Edge

How the Wealthy Save Billions in Taxes by Skirting a Century-Old Law

Congress outlawed tax deductions on “wash sales” in 1921, but Goldman Sachs and others have helped billionaires like Steve Ballmer see huge tax savings by selling stocks for a loss and then replacing them with nearly identical investments.

The Secret IRS Files

House Bill Would Blow Up the Massive IRAs of the Superwealthy

The proposed reform stems from a ProPublica story that detailed how PayPal founder Peter Thiel had amassed $5 billion, tax-free, in a Roth IRA. If the bill passes, Roth accounts would be capped at $20 million for high-income individuals.

The Secret IRS Files

The Number of People With IRAs Worth $5 Million or More Has Tripled, Congress Says

After ProPublica revealed that some wealthy Americans hold Roth IRAs worth hundreds of millions — compared to $39,000 for the average account holder — Democrats requested data. It shows more than 28,000 people with IRAs worth $5 million or more.

The Secret IRS Files

Democratic Senators Call for Investigation of Tax Avoidance by the Ultrawealthy

Calling ProPublica’s Secret IRS Files series a “bombshell,” Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sheldon Whitehouse demanded an investigation into how the rich use “legal tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of income taxes.”

The Secret IRS Files

Campaign to Rein in Mega IRA Tax Shelters Gains Steam in Congress Following ProPublica Report

One proposal would ban the kinds of transactions that helped Peter Thiel amass $5 billion in his Roth; another would cap how much could be saved tax-free in these retirement accounts. But two unrelated bills could undermine those efforts.

The Secret IRS Files

The Ultrawealthy Have Hijacked Roth IRAs. The Senate Finance Chair Is Eyeing a Crackdown.

Sen. Ron Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said he planned to rein in tax breaks for gargantuan Roth retirement accounts after ProPublica exposed how the superrich used them to shield their fortunes from taxes

IRS Audit of Trump Could Cost Former President More Than $100 Million

A Top Mutual Fund Executive Made Millions for Himself Trading the Same Stocks His Giant Fund Was Trading

How Warren Buffett Privately Traded in Stocks That Berkshire Hathaway Was Buying and Selling

How the Ultrawealthy Use Private Foundations to Bank Millions in Tax Deductions While Giving the Public Little in Return

The Biotech Edge: How Executives and Well-Connected Investors Make Exquisitely Timed Trades in Health Care Stocks

IRS Strategic Plan Vows to Amp Up Audits of the Rich

Private Planes and Luxury Yachts Aren’t Just Toys for the Ultrawealthy. They’re Also Huge Tax Breaks.

Wealthy Executives Make Millions Trading Competitors’ Stock With Remarkable Timing

That Cardboard Box in Your Home Is Fueling Election Denial

Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.

Ten Ways Billionaires Avoid Taxes on an Epic Scale

How Susquehanna’s Jeff Yass Avoided $1 Billion in Taxes

Meet the Billionaire and Rising GOP Mega-Donor Who’s Gaming the Tax System

“If You’re Getting a W-2, You’re a Sucker”

America’s Top 15 Earners and What They Reveal About the U.S. Tax System

America’s Highest Earners and Their Taxes Revealed

Taking Aim at Billionaire Tax Avoiders, Biden Proposes Minimum Tax for Ultrarich

When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”

“The Secret IRS Files” Wins Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting

The Great Inheritors: How Three Families Shielded Their Fortunes From Taxes for Generations

A Massive Oil Spill Helped One Billionaire Avoid Paying Income Tax for 14 Years

When You’re a Billionaire, Your Hobbies Can Slash Your Tax Bill

These Real Estate and Oil Tycoons Avoided Paying Taxes for Years

How These Ultrawealthy Politicians Avoided Paying Taxes

These Billionaires Received Taxpayer-Funded Stimulus Checks During the Pandemic

The Billionaires Tax Isn’t New

Proposal to Rein in Mega IRAs Faces Lobbying Resistance From Retirement Industry

ProPublica Wins Gold and Bronze Barlett & Steele Award

More Than Half of America’s 100 Richest People Exploit Special Trusts to Avoid Estate Taxes

How the Trump Tax Law Created a Loophole That Lets Top Executives Net Millions by Slashing Their Own Salaries

Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much the Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Tax Cut”

The Inside Story of How We Reported the Secret IRS Files

How a Billionaire Team Owner Pays a Lower Tax Rate Than LeBron James — and the Stadium Workers, Too

The Billionaire Playbook: How Sports Owners Use Their Teams to Avoid Millions in Taxes

Eight Takeaways From ProPublica’s Investigation of How Sports Owners Use Their Teams to Avoid Taxes

How the .001% Use Retirement Accounts as Tax-Free Piggy Banks

Why You Can’t Turn Your Roth IRA Into a Billion-Dollar Tax Shelter

Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank

Leading Manhattan DA Candidate Has Repeatedly Paid Virtually No Federal Income Taxes

ProPublica’s Tax Revelations Lead to Calls for Reforms — and Investigation

Buy, Borrow, Die: How America’s Ultrawealthy Stay That Way

How We Calculated the True Tax Rates of the Wealthiest

You May Be Paying a Higher Tax Rate Than a Billionaire

Why We Are Publishing the Tax Secrets of the .001%

The Secret IRS Files Short Form: A Quick Guide to What We Uncovered