While it seems the world was watching the testimony of the
former FBI director yesterday, another hearing was underway.
The Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division
provided a report to Congress on the Tax Division's activities
and requests. Staffing and funding requests for the next
fiscal year remain about the same, $107 million and 499 direct
employees.
Included in the 18-page report were examples of criminal
prosecutions and investigations involving five main areas of focus:
(1) abusive tax shelters; (2) offshore tax evasion; (3) employment
tax enforcement; (4) stolen identity refund fraud; and (5) tax
defiers. Notably, there was a large uptick in the number of
criminal employment tax enforcement investigations and
prosecutions. The report suggested continued focus in
the employment tax arena.
