Tax Time Threats

Tax season may not be your favorite time of year, especially if you’re an IRS agent.

Over the past few years there has been a steady increase in threats against the IRS and IRS agents. Last week a man from Austin made headlines when he crashed his private plane into an office building that housed IRS workers. He killed himself and an IRS worker. Thirteen others were injured; a letter he left behind expressed his outrage and frustrations with tax codes and the government. General J. Russell George is part of a federal agency charged with keeping IRS employees safe. George says over the past four years they have investigated 900 threats made against IRS employees, last year that number climbed above 1,000. And because of this the duties of tax administration agents have increased to investigations including bribery and unauthorized access to confidential information. Two years ago Congress gave agents the authority to send armed escorts with IRS officials visiting anyone deemed “potentially dangerous.” You can count on two things in life, taxes and death. But hopefully not at the same time.