Yes, you read that correctly. The Internal Revenue Service announced Monday morning that it was ending what it calls “unannounced visits” to taxpayers who may be in arrears or have run afoul of the agency and/or the government. “Unannounced visits” — so that’s what they are calling them these days. Well, okay, then.
On one hand, this shows what can happen when whistleblowers come forward and writers are fearless about shedding light on things such as agency raids on gun shops. At one point, the IRS could have relied on the media to submerge the raids on gun stores in the depths of the next media cycle. But the recent whistleblower revelations may have helped the agency see that it needed to straighten up and fly right. And lower its media profile.
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On the other hand, the government giveth, and the government taketh away. And the government playeth by its own rules. With that in mind, it remains to be seen what comes next. So you may want to hold your applause.
In its press release, the IRS stated in part:
As part of a larger transformation effort, the Internal Revenue Service today announced a major policy change that will end most unannounced visits to taxpayers by agency revenue officers to reduce public confusion and enhance overall safety measures for taxpayers and employees.
The change reverses a decades-long practice by IRS revenue officers, the unarmed agency employees whose duties include visiting households and businesses to help taxpayers resolve their account balances by collecting unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns. Effective immediately, unannounced visits will end except in a few unique circumstances and will be replaced with mailed letters to schedule meetings.
As to the last sentence in that paragraph? Paraphrasing Bill Clinton, I guess that depends on what your definition of “unique circumstances” is.
Part of the reason for the move is because of the increase in scammers posing as IRS agents in recent years. Fair enough, and it sounds good on spec. But the release also has a quote from the National Treasury Employees Union:
NTEU welcomes the IRS decision to halt unannounced visits by IRS Field Collection employees,” said Tony Reardon, National President of the National Treasury Employees Union “The safety of IRS employees is of paramount importance and this decision will help protect those whose jobs have only grown more dangerous in recent years because of false, inflammatory rhetoric about the agency and its workforce. We applaud Commissioner Werfel’s quick action after hearing the safety concerns raised by NTEU leaders and IRS Field Collection employees who faced dangerous situations that put their safety at risk. We look forward to working with the IRS on this and other actions to protect the safety of all IRS employees.
A bit further down, the press release states, “For IRS revenue officers, these unannounced visits to homes and businesses presented risks. Revenue officers routinely faced hazards and uncertainty making unannounced visits to attempt to resolve delinquent tax matters.” It included a statement from IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, who said, “These visits created extra anxiety for taxpayers already wary of potential scam artists. At the same time, the uncertainty around what IRS employees faced when visiting these homes created stress for them as well. This is the right thing to do and the right time to end it.”
Actually, the time to end it came and went long ago. One is far less prone to object to a letter than to what can amount to a raid on one’s home or business, with no reason provided or a way to prepare or even respond. This may come as a surprise to many in our government, but people usually respond civilly when treated with civility.
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