IRS Whistleblowing in 2021
This article features a coalition letter signed by Government Accountability Project and was originally published here.
In 2021, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Whistleblower Program did not draw the same attention as other whistleblower reward programs. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Program made headlines for awarding over $500 million to whistleblowers this past fiscal year and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a record $200 million award in October. Meanwhile, the IRS did not publicly announce any whistleblower awards, though awards may have been issued secretly.
That is not to say that there were not important developments that occurred for the IRS Whistleblower Program in 2021. A major reform bill was introduced in Congress this year which whistleblower advocates claim offers much needed fixes to the program. Furthermore, a number of Tax Court rulings were issued concerning whistleblowers which have interesting implications for future IRS whistleblower claims.
On June 15, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act of 2021. The bill, which is supported by whistleblower advocacy groups, makes several reforms to the IRS Whistleblower Program in order to improve the program’s operations and better protect whistleblowers who expose tax fraud.
The National Whistleblower Center,...
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