§7804. Other personnel
(a) Appointment and supervision
Unless otherwise prescribed by the Secretary, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue is authorized to employ such number of persons as the Commissioner deems proper for the administration and enforcement of the internal revenue laws, and the Commissioner shall issue all necessary directions, instructions, orders, and rules applicable to such persons.
(b) Posts of duty of employees in field service or traveling
Unless otherwise prescribed by the Secretary-
(1) Designation of post of duty
The Commissioner shall determine and designate the posts of duty of all such persons engaged in field work or traveling on official business outside of the District of Columbia.
(2) Detail of personnel from field service
The Commissioner may order any such person engaged in field work to duty in the District of Columbia, for such periods as the Commissioner may prescribe, and to any designated post of duty outside the District of Columbia upon the completion of such duty.
(c) Delinquent Internal Revenue officers and employees
If any officer or employee of the Treasury Department acting in connection with the internal revenue laws fails to account for and pay over any amount of money or property collected or received by him in connection with the internal revenue laws, the Secretary shall issue notice and demand to such officer or employee for payment of the amount which he failed to account for and pay over, and, upon failure to pay the amount demanded within the time specified in such notice, the amount so demanded shall be deemed imposed upon such officer or employee and assessed upon the date of such notice and demand, and the provisions of chapter 64 and all other provisions of law relating to the collection of assessed taxes shall be applicable in respect of such amount.
(d) Prohibition on rehiring employees involuntarily separated
The Commissioner may not hire any individual previously employed by the Commissioner who was removed for misconduct under this subchapter or chapter 43 or chapter 75 of title 5, United States Code, or whose employment was terminated under section 1203 of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (26 U.S.C. 7804 note).
(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736,
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Section 1203 of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, referred to in subsec. (d), is section 1203 of
Amendments
2019-Subsec. (d).
1998-
1976-
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2019 Amendment
Effective Date of 1998 Amendment
Comprehensive Customer Service Strategy
"(a)
"(1) a plan to provide assistance to taxpayers that is secure, designed to meet reasonable taxpayer expectations, and adopts appropriate best practices of customer service provided in the private sector, including online services, telephone call back services, and training of employees providing customer services;
"(2) a thorough assessment of the services that the Internal Revenue Service can co-locate with other Federal services or offer as self-service options;
"(3) proposals to improve Internal Revenue Service customer service in the short term (the current and following fiscal year), medium term (approximately 3 to 5 fiscal years), and long term (approximately 10 fiscal years);
"(4) a plan to update guidance and training materials for customer service employees of the Internal Revenue Service, including the Internal Revenue Manual, to reflect such strategy; and
"(5) identified metrics and benchmarks for quantitatively measuring the progress of the Internal Revenue Service in implementing such strategy.
"(b)
Termination of Employment for Misconduct
"(a)
"(b)
"(1) willful failure to obtain the required approval signatures on documents authorizing the seizure of a taxpayer's home, personal belongings, or business assets;
"(2) providing a false statement under oath with respect to a material matter involving a taxpayer or taxpayer representative;
"(3) with respect to a taxpayer, taxpayer representative, or other employee of the Internal Revenue Service, the violation of-
"(A) any right under the Constitution of the United States; or
"(B) any civil right established under-
"(i) title VI or VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq., 2000e et seq.];
"(ii) title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 [20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.];
"(iii) the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 [29 U.S.C. 621 et seq.];
"(iv) the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 [42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.];
"(v) section 501 or 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 [29 U.S.C. 791, 794]; or
"(vi) title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12111 et seq.];
"(4) falsifying or destroying documents to conceal mistakes made by any employee with respect to a matter involving a taxpayer or taxpayer representative;
"(5) assault or battery on a taxpayer, taxpayer representative, or other employee of the Internal Revenue Service, but only if there is a criminal conviction, or a final judgment by a court in a civil case, with respect to the assault or battery;
"(6) violations of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Department of Treasury regulations, or policies of the Internal Revenue Service (including the Internal Revenue Manual) for the purpose of retaliating against, or harassing, a taxpayer, taxpayer representative, or other employee of the Internal Revenue Service;
"(7) willful misuse of the provisions of section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 for the purpose of concealing information from a congressional inquiry;
"(8) willful failure to file any return of tax required under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 on or before the date prescribed therefor (including any extensions), unless such failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect;
"(9) willful understatement of Federal tax liability, unless such understatement is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect; and
"(10) performing, delaying, or failing to perform (or threatening to perform, delay, or fail to perform) any official action (including any audit) with respect to a taxpayer for purpose of extracting personal gain or benefit or for a political purpose.
"(c)
"(1)
"(2)
"(3)
"(d)
"(e)
[
Employee Training Program
"(a)
"(b)
"(1) detail a comprehensive employee training program to ensure adequate customer service training;
"(2) detail a schedule for training and the fiscal years during which the training will occur;
"(3) detail the funding of the program and relevant information to demonstrate the priority and commitment of resources to the plan;
"(4) review the organizational design of customer service;
"(5) provide for the implementation of a performance development system; and
"(6) provide for at least 16 hours of conflict management training during fiscal year 1999 for employees conducting collection activities."
Cataloging Complaints
Use of Pseudonyms by Internal Revenue Service Employees
"(a)
"(1) adequate justification for the use of a pseudonym is provided by the employee, including protection of personal safety; and
"(2) such use is approved by the employee's supervisor before the pseudonym is used.
"(b)
Reports on Misconduct of IRS Employees
"(1) all categories of instances involving the misconduct of employees of the Internal Revenue Service during the preceding calendar year, and
"(2) the disposition during the preceding calendar year of any such instances (without regard to the year of the misconduct)."
Taxpayers' Rights, Courtesy and Cross-Cultural Relations Training
Basis for Evaluation of Internal Revenue Service Employees
"(a)
"(1) to evaluate employees; or
"(2) to impose or suggest production quotas or goals with respect to such employees.
"(b)
"(c)
"(d)
"(e)
Sense of Congress as to Increased Internal Revenue Service Funding for Taxpayer Assistance and Enforcement
"(a)
"(1) the Internal Revenue Service estimates that the amount of taxes owed for 1986 will exceed the amount of taxes collected for such year by $100 billion;
"(2) the current taxpayer compliance rate stands at 81.5 percent;
"(3) the tax gap can be significantly reduced by enhancing taxpayer assistance services and enforcement; and
"(4) the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, in its fiscal year 1988 Internal Revenue Service appropriation, took a step in the direction of providing additional funding for taxpayer assistance and enforcement efforts.
"(b) It is the sense of the Congress that:
"(1) The Congress increase outlays for the Internal Revenue Service in fiscal year 1989 and fiscal year 1990 in the areas of taxpayer assistance and enforcement by $.7 billion in fiscal year 1989 for a revenue total of $3.2 billion and by $.8 billion in fiscal year 1990 for a revenue total of $4.4 billion. The net revenue increase would be $2.5 billion in fiscal year 1989 and $3.6 billion in fiscal year 1990, or a net revenue increase over the House Appropriations Committee recommendations of $.4 billion in fiscal year 1989 and $1.3 billion in fiscal year 1990.
"(2) The Internal Revenue Service offer improved taxpayer assistance and enforcement efforts by using the aforementioned outlays in areas recommended by, or consistent with the recommendations of, the 'Dorgan Task Force Report'. Taxpayer assistance efforts would include providing expanded taxpayer education programs, instituting pilot programs of taxmobiles in rural areas, and upgrading the quality of telephone assistance. Taxpayer enforcement efforts would include raising the audit rate from 1.1 percent toward 2.5 percent, restoring resources to criminal investigations, and the collection of delinquent accounts.
"(3) The Congress should undertake an experimental multiyear authorization and 2-year appropriation for the Internal Revenue Service consistent with the recommendations in
"(4) Increased funding should be provided for compilation and analysis of statistics of income and research.
The Internal Revenue Service must issue a report on the extent of the tax gap and the measures that could be undertaken to decrease the tax gap. The report must utilize more current data than has been utilized recently. The report must be issued by April 15, 1989. The Internal Revenue Service must also report annually on the improvements being made in the audit rate, taxpayer assistance, and enforcement efforts."
Tax Counseling for the Elderly
"(a)
"(1)
"(2)
"(A) preferential access to Internal Revenue Service taxpayer service representatives for the purpose of making available technical information needed during the course of the volunteers' work;
"(B) material to be used in making elderly persons aware of the availability of assistance under volunteer taxpayer assistance programs under this section; and
"(C) technical materials and publications to be used by such volunteers.
"(b)
"(1) to provide assistance to organizations which demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that their volunteers are adequately trained and competent to render effective tax counseling to the elderly;
"(2) to provide for the training of such volunteers, and to assist in such training, to insure that such volunteers are qualified to provide tax counseling assistance to elderly individuals;
"(3) to provide reimbursement to volunteers through such organizations for transportation, meals, and other expenses incurred by them in training or providing tax counseling assistance under this section, and such other support and assistance as he determines to be appropriate in carrying out the provisions of this section;
"(4) to provide for the use of services, personnel, and facilities of Federal executive agencies and of State and local public agencies with their consent, with or without reimbursement therefor; and
"(5) to prescribe such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
"(c)
"(1)
"(2)
"(d)
"(e)
"(1) The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate.
"(2) The term 'elderly individual' means an individual who has attained the age of 60 years as of the close of his taxable year.
"(3) The term 'Federal income tax return' means any return required under chapter 61 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to the tax imposed on an individual under chapter 1 of such Code.
"(f)