A few years ago, it was revealed that thousand of IRS employees who were in non-compliance with the IRS — or had actually committed tax fraud — had received bonuses from the agency. The IRS had promised to place safeguards or closer scrutiny to ensure that such employees who had not done due diligence with their taxes would not receive bonuses in the future. However, a new Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) report reveals that only about a third have been caught by the additional screening. “The IRS is still paying bonuses to nearly 2,000 bad employees, including more than two dozen who were actual tax-cheats themselves.”
From the Washington Times:
“The IRS understands the importance of withholding awards from employees whose conduct is deemed to impact the integrity of the service, and/or who have a tax compliance issue, regardless of the level of discipline imposed,” wrote Katherine M. Coffman, a “human capital officer” at the agency, in the IRS’s official response.
She agreed with all three recommendations for fixing the problem, but said they won’t be done until next January. Among those getting bonuses were two employees who illegally snooped on others’ tax returns.Two other employees sexually assaulted colleagues, yet were paid nearly $1,500 in combined bonuses, the audit found.
The inspector general said the agency only screened for people who were disciplined enough to serve at least a one day suspension. Investigators said the agency didn’t screen people who had tax problems but weren’t suspended. That included three employees who received a combined $7,000 in bonuses despite having $65,000 in outstanding tax balances deemed impossible to collect by the agency. Paying those bonuses broke the law, the investigators said.
In a statement after the report, the IRS said the examples were “unacceptable” but said it’s taken steps to try to get a handle on things since the last audit. “This continues to be a priority for us, and we will continue to make improvements going forward,” the agency said.”
The IRS continues to be an abomination, even five years after the scandal that targeted certain non-profit groups in 2013. It is outrageous that taxpayer money is appropriated to those who have not fulfilled their basic tax obligations.