TIGTA’s Investigative Mission (2024)

TIGTA's Investigative Mission

The Office of Investigations' comprehensive investigative program focuses on three primary areas of concern:

Employee Integrity

In order for the country’s tax system to operate successfully, taxpayers must have confidence in the fair and impartial administration of Federal tax laws and regulations. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee misconduct can erode the public’s trust and impede the IRS’s ability to effectively enforce tax laws. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) investigates allegations of extortion, bribery, theft, taxpayer abuses, false statements, financial fraud, and contract fraud by IRS employees.

Employee and Infrastructure Security

TIGTA is statutorily required to protect tax administration and the IRS’s collection of trillions of dollars in revenue for the United States government. Threats and assaults directed at IRS employees, facilities, and infrastructure impede the effective and safe administration of the Federal tax system and the IRS’s ability to collect tax revenue. As such, TIGTA must ensure IRS employee safety and infrastructure security. TIGTA also actively pursues, investigates, and mitigates emerging threats to the IRS’s ability to conduct Federal tax administration in cyberspace.

External Attempts to Corrupt Tax Administration

TIGTA is dedicated to investigating external attempts to corrupt or interfere with the administration of Federal tax laws. External attempts to corrupt Federal tax administration inhibit the IRS’s ability to collect revenue and undermine the public's confidence in fair and effective tax administration. External attempts to corrupt Federal tax administration include the following: bribes offered by taxpayers to compromise IRS employees; the manipulation of IRS systems and programs through the use of bogus liens and IRS financial reporting instruments; the use of fraudulent IRS documentation; and impersonation of IRS officials.