Who is the Revenue Officer?
There is a lot of misinformation about the IRS.
- Myth: Revenue Officers carry guns and make arrests.
Reality: No. Revenue Officers are civil employees. They are not authorized to carry firearms on duty or have arrest authority granted by IRS. Anecdotally, many Officers have concealed weapons permits issued by their local state issuing authority. The people you see in the news with badges and tactical gear are often Special Agents from the Criminal Investigation (CI) division. Some Revenue Officers are former law enforcement Officers who have retired and been hired into the Revenue Officer position. We mostly use calculators and the law, not handcuffs (at least on-duty). That said, many a great criminal case has been made from the work of the Revenue Officer's day to day work. Once the case is accepted for criminal prosecution, you can bet that all of the Revenue Officer's hard work, investigation and will be used within that criminal case. It is a dangerous job and Officers should be authorized to carry firearms if granted by their local issuing authority. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
- Myth: They can show up and kick you out of your house immediately.
Reality: The IRS has recently ended most unannounced field visits to taxpayers to appease employees who were not a good fit for the job they agreed to take and to further the current risk adverse culture that exists. Seizing a primary residence is extremely rare and requires a court order, but it does happen.
- Myth: Their only goal is to take your money.
Reality: The primary goal is compliance. They would often prefer to set up a sustainable payment plan (Installment Agreement) than go through the legal headache of seizing and selling a physical asset. In many cases Revenue Officers are investigating cases in which businesses have decided to take the taxes withheld in trust to them by their loyal employees and failed to remit to the Government. This creates a terrible situation in which other compliant legitimate ethical businesses are competing with the worst of the worst.
