by Madeleine Hubbard
The IRS on Monday said it is ending its decades-long practice of agency revenue officers making unannounced visits to taxpayers, citing concerns over agent safety and an increase in scammers.
“We have the tools we need to successfully collect revenue without adding stress with unannounced visits,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement announcing the change. “The only losers with this change in policy are scammers posing as the IRS.”
Unarmed agency employees would visit homes and businesses to collect unpaid taxes and unfiled tax returns. Except for a few unique circumstances, unannounced visits will immediately end and be replaced with mailed letters for taxpayers to schedule meetings, the IRS said.
“The growth in scam artists bombarding taxpayers has increased confusion about home visits by IRS revenue officers. Sometimes scam artists appear at the door posing as IRS agents, creating confusion for not just the taxpayers living there but local law-enforcement,” the agency said about the new policy.
IRS Commissioner Werfel noted the visits created anxiety for both taxpayers and agency employees.
Werfel added. “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.”
Funding allocated to the IRS for the next 10 years under the Inflation Reduction Act will also add more staffers to focus on “compliance work,” the IRS also said.
The decision to limit home visits is part of the IRS Strategic Operating Plan, which was launched in April following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
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Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.
