A House Republican wants answers from the director of the Internal Revenue Service after being contacted by a female taxpayer about an IRS field agent who used an alias to harass her.
According to The Wall Street Journal, "In a Friday letter to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan demands answers about a bizarre and disturbing IRS house call. The letter recounts that on April 25 a Marion, Ohio, taxpayer received a visit from a man who claimed his name was 'Bill Haus' and worked in the IRS criminal division.
Haus approached her, the WSJ said, stating that he needed to discuss an estate matter for which she served as the fiduciary. Despite not receiving any prior communication from the IRS, she allowed him inside.
Haus then alleged that she had not correctly completed the estate forms and owed a significant sum to the IRS. It was only after the taxpayer provided evidence of having paid all taxes related to the estate that the agent disclosed the true purpose of his visit. It turned out to be regarding several alleged delinquent tax returns associated with a deceased individual associated with the estate.
According to the letter, the taxpayer contacted her attorney, who instructed Haus to leave the premises. However, Haus responded by saying, “I am an IRS agent, I can be at and go into anyone’s house at any time I want to be.”
Eventually, Haus departed, but not before issuing a warning that he would freeze the taxpayer's assets and place a lien on her house unless the outstanding balance was settled within a week. Suspicious of the situation, the taxpayer contacted the local police, who verified Haus's identity by running his license plate.
"When an officer called Mr. Haus, Mr. Haus identified himself as an IRS agent but said Haus wasn’t his real name. He had used an alias," the outlet continued. "The officer, also suspecting a scam, warned that if he returned to the taxpayer’s home he’d be arrested. Mr. Haus then filed a complaint against the Marion police officer with the Treasury Department inspector general."
According to the House letter, on May 4, the taxpayer had a conversation with Haus's supervisor, who confirmed that she did not owe anything and acknowledged that “things never should have gotten this far.” However, the very next day, the taxpayer received a letter addressed to the deceased individual, indicating that the decedent had failed to file several 1040 forms. The letter was the taxpayer's sole notification via mail.
The taxpayer once again contacted the supervisor, who reassured her that no payment was due. Finally, on May 30, the taxpayer received notification that the case had been closed.
The WSJ noted further:
If true, this is something else. An agent of the Treasury, wielding the power of tax enforcement, shows up unannounced at a taxpayer’s home. He lies about his identity and his purpose to get inside, then threatens the taxpayer with punishment if she doesn’t pay a tax bill that she doesn’t owe. The IRS agent leaves only after an intervention by her lawyer, and when local police call the agent he sics the Treasury Department on the officer.
Mr. Jordan wants all IRS documents and communication related to this episode, and Mr. Werfel can’t be allowed to stonewall. This is the second report of an IRS house call since March, when another T-man visited journalist Matt Taibbi at home on the day he was away testifying to Congress on government abuse.
"What the hell is going on over there? What in IRS workplace culture gives agents the belief they can do this? Democrats bestowed $80 billion on the IRS last year to empower people like 'Bill Haus.' Republicans clawed back some of it in the recent debt-ceiling bill, but an IRS that makes threatening house calls deserves to have it all clawed back," the outlet concluded.
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