July 30 is National Whistleblower Day, and the IRS said it plans to recognize the role whistleblowers play in exposing tax fraud, reducing the tax gap, and strengthening tax compliance.
National Whistleblower Day commemorates the nation’s first whistleblower law, enacted in 1778, and honors individuals who report wrongdoing and help protect public resources.
Since the IRS whistleblower program’s inception in 2007, information from sources has contributed to more than $8 billion being recovered and over $1.4 billion paid in awards.
“Historically whistleblowers have played an essential role in tax administration by calling attention to problems others have overlooked,” IRS CEO Frank Bisignano said in a statement on July 28. “Information provided by whistleblowers helps the IRS identify noncompliance, pursue enforcement actions, and ensure fairness for taxpayers who follow the law.”
Over the past year, the IRS has enhanced its digital tools to make it easier for people with information to submit a whistleblower claim, increased awareness of emerging schemes, and continued to strengthen collaboration with whistleblower program stakeholders. These efforts include:
- Digital Form 211: The IRS launched Form 211, Application for Award for Original Information, allowing whistleblowers to submit information using a phone or laptop. As a result, submission rates have reached unprecedented levels.
- Streamlined online reporting: The IRS launched a centralized online reporting tool at IRS.gov/submitatip that provides step-by-step guidance to report fraud and scams, including information on how to submit documents.
- Whistleblower Alerts: The IRS Whistleblower Office continues to expand its Whistleblower Alert initiative, which highlights emerging abusive tax schemes and provides information to help individuals identify and report suspicious activity.
- Enhancing global tax compliance: The IRS Whistleblower Office collaborates with whistleblowers, practitioners, advocacy groups, and other governmental and international whistleblower programs, including assisting the U.K. tax authority’s whistleblower program.
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“The IRS encourages individuals with credible information about tax noncompliance to submit their information. The most valuable whistleblower submissions contain specific, timely, significant, and credible information. Whistleblowers may be eligible for a monetary award if the information they provide leads to the collection of taxes or other proceeds,” the agency said in a media release on Tuesday.
IRS Whistleblower Office acting director Erick Martinez added, “Celebrating National Whistleblower Day is an opportunity to express sincere appreciation to whistleblowers. Their efforts make our tax system stronger by exposing wrongdoing and deterring bad actors. Their tips provide the IRS with information the agency would not otherwise know about, potentially increasing collections, and improving tax compliance.”
Photo credit: Unsplash
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