On February 15, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a confirmation hearing for Daniel Werfel, President Biden’s nominee to be the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Following the hearing, Werfel responded to a series of written questions for the record, which he submitted on February 24.
Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Chair of the Committee, and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) both posed questions to Werfel about the IRS Whistleblower Program. The program, which offers monetary awards to tax whistleblowers, has been an immense success but has been plagued by a number of issues in recent years.
“Whistleblowers have delivered a huge return on investment for the agency and can serve as effective partners to help the IRS to unpack sophisticated schemes used by wealthy taxpayers
and large corporations,” Wyden explained in his answers. “They have helped the IRS collect over $6 billion directly from wealthy individuals and businesses caught cheating on their taxes.”
“Mr. Werfel, will you ensure the IRS Whistleblower Program gets the support it needs?” Wyden asked. “What steps will you take to ensure claims are considered in a timelier manner and will you commit to reporting to me on the effectiveness of these measures?”
“I thank you and Senator Grassley for your bipartisan work over the years on this important issue,” Werfel responded. “It is critical that the IRS’s Whistleblower Program be a top priority.”
“To ensure the effectiveness of the current program I will...
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