Letter to John Koskinen, Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service - End Abuses of Taxpayer Dollars

Letter

The Honorable John Koskinen
Commissioner
Internal Revenue Service
1111 Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20224

Dear Commissioner Koskinen,

As the new Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), one of your chief responsibilities should be restoring the public's confidence in the agency. To do that, the IRS needs to lead by example. That's why I was deeply troubled by the recent report by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) finding that the IRS awarded more than $1 million in bonuses from 2010 to 2012 to employees that were delinquent on their taxes. I write today to urge you to act quickly and implement TIGTA's recommendation that future bonuses and performance awards be limited to IRS employees who are fully compliant with federal tax law.

American taxpayers are frustrated with their government, and this type of behavior undermines their confidence that federal agencies are acting in their best interests. Although these bonuses were awarded before your tenure, it is critical that you take swift action to implement TIGTA's recommendations so that this abuse of taxpayer dollars does not happen in the future. All federal agencies must be careful stewards of taxpayer dollars, but the IRS's unique role in our tax system gives it a special responsibility. There is no reason for the IRS to award bonuses to employees who are unable to demonstrate their own compliance with our nation's tax laws.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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