The IRS spends about 4 cents per dollar collected by utilizing the IRS whistleblower program, and about 10 cents per dollar collected by using its traditional audit methods.  The lower costs should mandate that the IRS start prioritizing whistleblower claims and encourage them to shorten the time processing those claims.  Both of these steps would help the IRS to better attack the tax gap, hopefully negate the need to target the poor and stem the tide of wealthy sophisticated taxpayers cheating the system.