IRS Whistleblower Office Needs Improvement, Could Collect Even More Than Its $2 Billion Over Tax Fraud

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa drafted the 2006 provisions that improved the IRS whistleblower office to stop tax fraud.  A new report from the non-partisan Government Accountability Office shows the IRS whistleblower office has collected almost $2 billion since 2011 that otherwise would have been lost to fraud.  The report describes several major barriers that might discourage whistleblowers from coming forward.  Grassley made the following comment on the report.
 
“The IRS commissioner has told me many times that the whistleblower office is an important priority.   The GAO report gives the IRS a list of concrete steps to improve the whistleblower office.  There’s a matter for Congress to consider as well.  We all need to make sure the IRS puts out a welcome mat for whistleblowers.  The collection of $2 billion for the federal treasury that otherwise would have been lost to fraud is good news for the taxpayers.  The news would be even better if the IRS stepped up its work.”
 
The GAO report is available here.
 

-30-