ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
The IRS Whistleblower Program
How the Program Works
In this age of heightened notoriety for whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, it can often seem like there’s little or no recourse for those with inside knowledge. However, while it can often be difficult to spill the beans on government misdeeds, those with knowledge of business and corporate wrongdoing have a number of options. The SEC has a whistleblower programs for those who have evidence of companies misleading their shareholders, the False Claims Act allows citizens to sue companies for fraud committed against the government, and the IRS has a well-regarded program for reporting those guilty of tax evasion.
These programs attract whistleblowers by promising them a cut of any returns, and they have been a noted success dating back to the Civil War when the FCA was first enacted. However, in order to stay effective, programs like the IRS whistleblower agency must continue to update their methods and improve their performance. A recent audit of the IRS program found a number of areas to improve on, guaranteeing future whistleblowers a more straightforward and streamlined path.
Areas for Improvement
The man areas the audit marked for improvement was the internal recording and processing of claims, the speed with which claims were investigated and moved forward, the Whistleblower Office’s communication with whistleblowers, and properly supporting the decision to accept or reject a claim. Up till now, it has often been frustrating for whistleblower and their attorneys to have months or even years of silence from the Whistleblower’s Office, only to find out that the investigation had advanced only incrementally, if at all, or to discover that the Office had decided that the recovery would be too small, without contacting the attorney or discussing the situation with the whistleblower.
The Whistleblower Office is tasked with narrowing the $450 Billion dollar tax shortfall every year, a task that would be downright insurmountable without the enthusiastic cooperation of whistleblowers who want to ensure than companies and wealthy individuals are paying their fair share. Whistleblowers often have access to information and knowledge that would be nigh-impossible for IRS investigators to get access to on their own.
What to Look for Going Forward
Seeing an improvement in the IRS Whistleblower’s Office would be great, and would help assure whistleblowers that their information will be dealt with quickly and carefully, and that they will be kept in the loop as things move forward. Our California IRS whistleblower attorneys believe that they would be better able to represent whistleblowers, and better able to ensure that corporate taxes are paid in full.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has knowledge of tax fraud being committed by a company or individual, contact the Evans Law Firm IRS whistleblower attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our attorneys have experience with complex financial contracts and large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
