A bill that would reform the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Whistleblower Awards Program was introduced in Congress this week.
IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act was introduced by U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), along with Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Roger Wicker (R-AL), and Ben Cardin (D-MD).
The bill includes six measures to bolster the successful program, which has enabled the agency to collect more than $6 billion from wealthy individuals and businesses caught dodging taxes. It has also retrieved additional billions through the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, which was created as a direct result of actionable information brought to the IRS by whistleblowers.
“Whistleblowers who bravely report possible violations to the authorities—whether it be to protect taxpayer dollars or promote transparency and accountability at our federal agencies—deserve adequate protections for simply doing the right thing and should be fully protected,” Kelly, chair of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax, said. “Whistleblowers are essential to ensuring the integrity of our tax laws. Exposing wrongdoing by tax cheats and fraudsters guarantees our voluntary tax system is fair for all Americans.”
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