My argument is that the rich have been evading paying taxes for decades and the IRS acknowledges this. They also acknowledge that they actively target the poor due to auditing the rich being difficult. I am sure politics and lobbying adds to that difficulty.

The current system is geared towards keeping the rich and poor where they are. I find it interesting that the IRS devotes resources towards targeting a new wealth source available to the poor while not dedicating those same resources towards auditing the wealthy. (I am in no way a crypto evangelist). One could argue that they are going after low hanging fruit, and I would not disagree but I would also argue that they are actively choosing to not target the rich with their limited resources.

I think you analogy is flawed, I would instead compare this case to the police hanging out in poor neighborhoods targeting house parties vs doing the same in rich neighborhoods as they may need to go the extra step of getting a gate code to the rich neighborhoods.

Especially since the IRS has come out and said they go after minor tax evasion more since going after the bigger fish requires more money and resources. The IRS also has it’s budget decrease year after year.

It’s not like going after the bigger evaders would yield bigger fines and maybe lead to bigger budgets.

>Your argument appears to be that lighter tax evasion shouldn't be prosecuted as long as there are heavy tax evaders that haven't been prosecuted.

I think the argument is more along the lines of: "Something is wrong if the police spend zero or minimal effort investigating major burglaries (when they have the resources to do so, as evidenced by their investigations into lesser burglaries). This lack of investigation incentivizes major burglaries by those who have the means to do."

In my experience the police don't investigate B&E's into people's homes that often or with any vigor.

That probably depends a lot on whose house and where it is.

Twice for me. Both in lower rent apartment row houses in college in different locations. Tons of electronics stolen and I had the S/N for 80% of them and one firearm, cops didn't seem to care. On one instance I gave them the likely culprit. Which was someone I had known from the neighborhood that I saw looking in windows when I drove left the afternoon I got robbed, didn't think too much of it at the time; just thought he was trying hang out with friend and was trying to see if they were home.

That has not been my experience.