IRS whistleblowers catch tax frauds. They need your help.

Post by Jane Turner, Board Member of the National Whistleblower Center.

The IRS has admitted a staggering statistic:

Whistleblowers who report wealthy tax cheats wait, on average, 10 years to receive awards.

These unacceptable delays affect whistleblowers and the average taxpayer, as tax evaders continue to exploit the system. This is just one of several issues with the IRS Whistleblower Program.

Since its inception, the program has recovered over $6 billion from tax evaders.

Without urgent reform, brave whistleblowers are left unprotected, and the integrity of our tax system is at risk.

Now is the time to act.

Senators Mike Crapo and Ron Wyden have released a bipartisan discussion draft of the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act, which aims to fix longstanding problems with the IRS Whistleblower Program.

This long-overdue legislation offers reasonable solutions to the flaws in the IRS Whistleblower Program.

We urge you to take action today to call for the passage of this important piece of legislation.

NWC Board Chairman Stephen Kohn said, “The reforms found in this bipartisan bill are desperately needed […] They are common-sense reforms which directly address issues plaguing the program, ensuring that tax whistleblowers can continue to root out tax cheats.”

Raise your voice. Urge Congress to support this much-needed legislation.

The form will automatically email your representatives using a template that you can change and/or modify.

Here is the template:

Dear Senator:

I am writing you today to urge for the passage of the recently released draft of the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act. In particular, I urge for the passage of the whistleblower protections outlined in Title VII, Section 701-708. These protections mirror those outlined in the previous IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act and would redress the untenable delays that the IRS Whistleblower Office currently experiences in issuing Congressionally mandated whistleblower awards.

The IRS has admitted that award delays average 10 years at the agency, leaving whistleblowers who have spoken out against large tax-cheats languishing for years. This is unacceptable. The passage of the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act and the whistleblower reforms outlined therein are essential to the proper functioning of the IRS Whistleblower Program. Since its inception, this program has recouped over $6 billion in stolen funds, it is critical that we ensure this program run as efficiently as possible. Not only would the passage of this Act benefit your constituents and our neighbors in our district, but it would help whistleblowers across this nation and bolster the work they do to recoup fraudulently stolen taxpayer dollars.

Many whistleblowers lose their jobs, their careers, and their hope for economic survival relies on their compensation promised under law. Untenable delays in award payouts essentially nullify whistleblower programs. It is essential that Congress takes action to redress these delays. I am not alone in this belief. A Marist poll from 2020 shows that 86% of voters support whistleblower protections, a belief that holds consistent across party lines and voter demographics. Additionally, 44% of voters reported they were more likely to vote for a Congressional candidate who supported strengthening whistleblower laws.

For more information on this request, please reach out to National Whistleblower Center (NWC) at programs@whistleblowers.org.