Urge Congress to Stop Tax Cheats

On June 23rd, Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA-5), with cosponsor Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), introduced the IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill that would ensure the integrity of our nation’s tax system by holding tax cheats accountable and exposing tax fraud through the introduction of crucial reforms to the IRS whistleblower tax program, including the right to anonymity and to correct key delays.

Since the IRS whistleblower program’s introduction in 2006, over $6 billion dollars have been collected from wealthy individuals and companies that were not in compliance with tax laws. On average, however, it takes the IRS nearly ten years to process a whistleblower case with numerous whistleblowers dying before their claims could be processed and paid, according to the IRS.

In addition, the IRS is tasked with investigating and stopping fraud in the oil and gas industry, and whistleblowers are instrumental to these efforts. For every fraud the IRS uncovers in the fossil fuel industry, countless others go undetected. We must incentivize insiders to come forward, ensuring they have adequate protection, to protect our environment and consumers.

Whistleblowers have played a crucial role in the effort to protect our nation’s tax system and the lives and livelihoods of honest taxpayers. So, please, write to your Representative and urge them to support the Whistleblower Program Improvement Act of 2021 today.