Due process requires that matters be resolved according to established rules and principles and that taxpayers be treated fairly. The international information return (IIR) penalty regime under IRC Chapter 61, Subchapter A, Part III, Subpart A does not adhere to this fundamental mandate. Now is the time for Congress to fix this broken system by providing a clear path for implementation of these penalties. This fix, which would provide much-needed clarity and finality, will require legislation.

The need for this legislation has been brought to a head by the U.S. Tax Court’s recent decision in Farhy v. Commissioner, which holds that the IRS lacks statutory authority to assess and collect penalties under IRC § 6038(b). In part one of this series, I provide a discussion of this decision and a recommendation that would protect the rights of both taxpayers and the government.

Since assuming the role of National Taxpayer Advocate, I have recommended that the IRS cease systemic assessment of these penalties, and I have requested that Congress enact legislation providing the IRS the ability to utilize deficiency procedures for IIR penalties. Among other things, deficiency procedures allow for judicial review in the Tax Court prior to the assessment and payment of the asserted penalties.

Compared to other courts, the Tax Court is more accessible for taxpayers and is by far the least expensive and easiest to navigate for low-income taxpayers. Amending the IRC to implement deficiency procedures would solve the problem highlighted by the Tax Court in Farhy. Nevertheless, there remains a separate and important issue regarding Chapter 61 IIR penalties that also needs a legislative fix.

Chapter 61 International Information Return Penalties Require Finality
Taxpayers are entitled to finality and a fair and just tax system. Protection of these rights is a bedrock aspect of quality tax administration.

The failure to provide a clear statute of limitations for some Chapter 61 penalties represents a defect in the IRC. Unlike most other penalty provisions in the code, there is no explicit statute of limitations impacting some Chapter 61 penalties. Nothing in the code specifically prohibits the IRS from imposing penalties going all the way back to the enactment of some code sections. That being said, the Court noted in Farhy, “28 U.S.C. § 2461(a) expressly provides that ‘[w]henever a civil fine, penalty or pecuniary forfeiture is prescribed for violation of an Act of Congress without specifying the mode of recovery or enforcement thereof, it may be recovered in a civil act.’” 28 U.S.C. § 2462 provides that a suit to enforce penalties must be commenced within five years.
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