By Fatima Hussein | Associated Press
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on Monday that it is discontinuing its long-standing practice of conducting unannounced visits to homes and businesses. This decision is aimed at ensuring the safety of IRS employees and combating scammers who impersonate IRS agents.
Effective immediately, revenue agents will no longer make unexpected visits to taxpayers’ residences and workplaces, except in rare cases. Instead, the Treasury Department stated that the agency will send letters to schedule meetings with individuals.
During a press call, new IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel described this change as the right move at the right time, marking the end of an era at the IRS. The tradition of revenue officers visiting homes and businesses to address taxpayers’ outstanding tax liabilities and unfiled returns will be reversed.
In recent years, the IRS has faced increased threats, particularly due to conspiracy theories suggesting that agents would aggressively target middle-income taxpayers following the passage of a bill related to climate, healthcare, and taxes. This prompted the agency to conduct a thorough review of safety at its facilities in August of last year. Furthermore, in May of this year, the IRS announced measures to limit the personal identifying information of its workers in communications with taxpayers.
In a report, the Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration expressed concerns about the potential use of the internet and social media by taxpayers or anti-government groups with malicious intent to locate and harm IRS employees and their families. As a result, the decision to end unannounced visits is seen as a proactive step to mitigate these risks.
The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS workers, applauded the agency’s move to end unannounced visits. Union leader Tony Reardon stated in an email that IRS officers will continue to fulfill their mission of aiding taxpayers in meeting their tax obligations through alternative means of communication.
The issue of home visits has been a source of political contention this year. Ohio House Republican Jim Jordan raised concerns in March when journalist Matt Taibbi received an unexpected visit from an IRS agent shortly after testifying about his research into Twitter records on Capitol Hill. Commissioner Werfel believes that the policy change will address the issues raised regarding unannounced visits, including those brought to the attention of the U.S. Congress.
The proliferation of scam artists posing as IRS agents has also contributed to confusion surrounding unannounced home visits.
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