Almost every person, company, and other business entity in the country must provide payments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at least once a year. The federal government relies on these taxes to fund everything from education to the military.
The IRS takes a failure to pay taxes extremely seriously. Even so, it often lacks the resources that it needs to track delinquent accounts or make charges stick. As a result, the IRS encourages ordinary citizens to serve as whistleblowers. They do this by offering rewards for information that leads to convictions.
A Greenville IRS whistleblower lawyer may be able to help you when you have witnessed tax evasion or other illegal act connected to a failure to pay taxes. An attorney can assist with the filing of a complaint and demand a proper reward under the Qui Tam program.
The IRS has a difficult task. This agency and its employees must track every individual and business entity in the country to ensure that those entities are paying their fair share of income taxes. Naturally, this is nearly impossible.
As a result, the IRS often relies on whistleblowers to alert them to new cases and to provide information that can develop into new investigations. For many people, making these reports is part of their jobs, and they must speak up by law. However, for others, coming forward as whistleblowers can come with a substantial reward.
According to 23 United States Code § 7623, parties submitting a whistleblower complaint to the IRS may include a writ of Qui Tam. These writs demand a reward if the information results in a successful prosecution that recovers funds. Under the statute, this reward will be between 15 and 30 percent of the recovered funds in the case. A Greenville IRS whistleblower attorney can provide more information about the whistleblower process and how to pursue a reward.
Coming forward as a whistleblower requires courage. In many situations, an employee may speak out against their employer or a powerful entity in the community. Employees may fear losing a job or other retaliatory acts.
Fortunately, any form of retaliation is illegal under federal law. This includes both situations where a person files an initial complaint and those where they cooperate in an IRS investigation.
People and companies that undertake retaliatory acts face harsh penalties under the law. Additionally, the targets of retaliation can file lawsuits against their attackers that demand various forms of compensation. These can include monetary damages or reinstatement at the workplace. A seasoned Greenville IRS whistleblower lawyer could work to protect parties against potential retaliation and take appropriate action if these events still occur.
The IRS often relies on whistleblowers to learn about new cases of tax evasion, fraud, or other illegal activities. Not only do these people have a civic duty to come forward, but taking these steps can also be lucrative. Providing information about tax crimes that results in a conviction can see the IRS issue a reward under the process of Qui Tam.
A Greenville IRS whistleblower attorney is ready to help you. An attorney can help to determine if your observations merit a complaint. If so, they can work to provide detailed information to the IRS while also protecting you against any possible retaliation. Contact a Greenville IRS Qui Tam lawyer now to explore your options.
