Tax Relief Blog
TIGTA review finds small number of cases where IRS employees harassed taxpayers while attempting to collect taxes [Audit Report No. 2008-10-162]:
In 2007, there were five cases involving Fair Tax Collection Practices (FTCP) violations for which an IRS employee received administrative disciplinary action, according to a recent audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
In addition, auditors identified an unspecified number of cases that should have been coded as FTCP violations but instead were coded with other designations. As described in the audit, the FTCP prohibits IRS employees from using abusive or harassing behavior toward taxpayers when attempting to collect taxes. An employee who violates the FTCP may be subject to disciplinary action.
As a result of the violations cited in the audit, the employees involved received disciplinary actions including admonishment, suspension, probation/separation, and removal, TIGTA said.
No civil actions resulted in the agency paying monetary settlements to taxpayers because of an FTCP violation, the audit noted. It can be found at http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2008reports/200810162fr.pdf
