Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), a
long-time champion of whistleblowers and the creator of the IRS whistleblower
program, has sent a letter to IRS commissioner
nominee, John Koskinen, expressing hope that he will change the
anti-whistleblower culture at the IRS.
Grassley is concerned that the IRS
whistleblower program is being underutilized and harmed due to the dearth of
whistleblower rewards and IRS agents’ reluctance to “fully utilize the
whistleblower’s knowledge and expertise to identify and expose tax cheats.”
Whistleblowers often put their
careers in jeopardy by coming forward with valuable information. Those who have
filed whistleblower claims or are considering filing whistleblower claims have been
discouraged by the lack of response from the IRS.
Grassley recommends changes to the
IRS whistleblower program: Assurances that whistleblowers will be valued and
treated fairly, regular use of the awards programs, encouraging rather than
discouraging whistleblowers to come forward, and showing whistleblowers that it
is worth risking their careers to report those who violate or skirt tax laws
and regulations.
