ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
IRS Paid $472 Million In Whistleblower Rewards In 2020
Off-Shore Schemes Are Large Area Of Tax Avoidance
Tax Avoidance Schemes Violate Numerous Laws
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rewards people who blow the whistle on corporations who fail to pay the tax that they owe. I.R.C. § 7623(b). In fiscal year 2020, whistleblower disclosures helped the IRS collect over $472 million from tax law violators, and the IRS issued over $86 million in awards to 169 whistleblowers. Since the IRS Whistleblower Office was created in 2006, more than $1 billion has been awarded to whistleblowers based on collection of $6.14 billion from non-compliant taxpayers. One primary form of tax avoidance is offshore schemes that shelter income from U.S. taxation. Evans Law Firm, Inc. represents individuals with credible information of offshore tax avoidance schemes or other tax fraud and can help you submit information of tax fraud to the government and present your evidence with a goal toward a reward if the IRS recovers. If you have credible information of tax fraud, call us today at (415)441-8669. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267).
Whistleblower Cases Under Internal Revenue Code Section 7623(b)
The rules governing IRS whistleblower cases offering rewards are found at Internal Revenue Code IRC Section 7623(b) – Whistleblower Rules. The statute provides:
- Reward percentages have a general range between 15% to 30%, with some exceptions. There is no limit on the dollar amount of the award.
- The law applies to cases in which the amount in dispute exceeds $2 million. If the taxpayer is an individual, the individual’s gross income must exceed $200,000 for any taxable year at issue in a claim.
- Individuals are eligible for awards based on additions to tax, penalties, interest, and other amounts collected as a result of any administrative or judicial action resulting from the information provided.
Off-Shore Tax Avoidance
One of the largest forms of tax evasion is tax avoidance through use of offshore companies (to hide revenue) and offshore bank accounts (hiding income). These schemes also often violate other federal laws, including banking law. See, e.g., Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Act (FBAR) (31 U.S.C. § 5314); Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) (26 U.S.C. § 1471 et seq.). Employees who discover their employer’s tax evasion maneuvers are protected from retaliation by their employers. See 26 U.S.C. § 7623. Despite this protection, employers may still retaliate. If they do, employees can fight back. Evans Law Firm, Inc. can represent you in any suit for employer retaliation in addition to representing them before the IRS with their whistleblower claim. Remedies for wrongful retaliation by an employer include reinstatement, double back pay, interest, and attorneys’ fees and costs for bringing your lawsuit. See 26 U.S.C. § 7623.
Contact Us
Ingrid M. Evans represents individuals with credible, original information of any kind of tax fraud, including offshore tax avoidance measures, use of foreign corporations and accounts to avoid taxation or the like. Ingrid can be reached at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our toll-free number is 1-888-50EVANS (888-503-8267). Evans Law Firm, Inc. also handles whistleblower actions under the Financial Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA/FIAFEA), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission Whistleblower Program, the Securities and Exchange Commission Whistleblower Program, False Claims Act cases, the FINRA Whistleblower Office and the California False Claims Act.