Should the IRS be Able to Release the Status of their Investigations Into Employee Misconduct? (H.R. 1026)

What is H.R. 1026?

(Updated May 6, 2020)

This bill would allow the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to release the status of ongoing investigations related to the "improper disclosure" of taxpayer information by IRS employees. If passed, the IRS could give this information to the people who filed the complaints, including:

• Whether or not an investigation has been launched into the individual or group that was reported;
• Whether or not the violation reported was found to be true;
• Whether or not any penalty has been issued against the violating individual.

Argument in favor

People have the right to know how and when the IRS has responded to complaints of employee misconduct with taxpayer information.

Argument opposed

The IRS should protect the privacy of individuals under investigation. Sharing information before the end could damage the quality of investigations.

Impact

People who report misconduct in the IRS, the IRS and it's employees.

Cost of H.R. 1026

A CBO cost estimate found that implementing this bill would have an insignificant impact on the federal budget.

Additional Info

In-Depth:

Under current law, the IRS cannot share information about investigations with the people who are following the complaints. This bill comes in a package of other bills that the House of Representatives plan to vote on around Tax Day, 2015. As the Ripon Advance notes: 

"The legislative items, all of which were unanimously approved by the Ways and Means Committee this year, are designed to stop IRS abuse, create accountability for the IRS and its employees, and protect the rights of American citizens as they deal with tax-related issues."

Media: 

Sponsoring Rep. Mike Kelley (R-PA) Press Release

CBO Cost Estimate

The Ripon Advance

The Leader

(Photo credit: Flickr user Images_of_Money)