IRS Piggy Bank Is In Your Hands!
The Treasury Inspector General (TIGTA), who keeps an eye on the IRS, has disclosed that they have found $65.9 billion (The Contents of the Piggy Bank) that can be used for disaster relief and general government spending. This money is readily collectible from the 7 million delinquent taxpayers who owe that money. Sadly the IRS does not have the staff or funding to pursue ANY of this money. So it assesses the taxes and then drops the cases into a dark hole called “The Queue.” Where it is likely to never again see the light of day. No collection field officer’s or even telephone collectors (Automated Collection System) will ever be assigned to those cases.
In its report, TIGTA said that the IRS does not subject these cases to the systemic compliance checks on these accounts- i.e., are these people still filing and paying or not. These cases do not use automated levy source and income searches used for cases that are issued in active collection. These cases are not subject to the automatic levy provisions to provide for collection against Social Security payments that are being paid to delinquent taxpayers.
Failing to do even minimal collection work on these case causes the IRS to let people get away with not paying billions of dollars of taxes every year.
I spent my whole career as a Senior IRS Revenue Officer promoting taxpayer education, and taxpayer filing and paying compliance. Now this is a thing of the past, and I just want to acknowledge as an Enrolled Agent/Tax Professional that this has benefited at least a dozen of my delinquent taxpayers, so for that, I am happy for them.
But as a person who pays taxes with the idea that my contribution supports the greater good of the United States of America and our common goals. I am disappointed and ashamed that this and past Congresses have turned the IRS into the weak and ineffectual agency that it is now. I don’t mind paying my fair share- but not everyone feels that way. That is what tax collectors do they help people to do the right thing.