Can former employer retaliate if I turn them into the IRS for tax evasion?

[allfiredup]

I'm in the state of Georgia.

I work for a particularly unethical company and, after almost three years, gave my two weeks notice today. The response was rude and nasty, but I expected it. There was even mention that they would try to make trouble for me if I went to work for a competitor or any of our customers. I am actually going to work in the same industry (real estate) but that's none of their business.

Anyway, as the company accountant, I know several bits of information the IRS as well as our state DOR and DOL would be interested to know. Various labor laws are routinely violated and sales tax returns are understated (I refuse to sign them because of that). The clincher, though, is that the company owner has taken over $500k in advances from the company in the past ten years without paying a penny of tax on them! Our CPA has warned them repeatedly how risky this is.

Long story short, I despise the owner of the company as well as my direct supervisor. I also want to remove any possibility of them created a problem for me in my new position or within the industry. If I report those untaxed advances to the IRS, am I legally protected from retaliation?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Beth3]

IRS regulations are not within the province of employment law but I would certainly expect you would be protected for contacting the IRS. I am also under the understanding that they take complaints annonymously. In either case though, there would be no reason for the IRS to notify the employer that you were the individual who reported the irregularities since the issues at hand have nothing to do with you personally.

 

[JETX]

Report the *******s..... they are stealing from all of us.
Contact CID (Criminal Investigation Division) of your local IRS office.

http://www.ustreas.gov/irs/ci/tax_fraud/index.htm
http://www.irs.gov/compliance/enforcement/article/0,,id=106778,00.html

Heck, you may qualify for a reward of 15% of the amount recovered including taxes, fines and penalties!!
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/Avoidanaudit/P42263.asp

 

[CheeseBlotto]

As the company's accountant, you could potentially have some liability issues with any tax-related wrongdoing, so I would be very, very careful.

 

[JETX]

As the company's accountant, you could potentially have some liability issues with any tax-related wrongdoing, so I would be very, very careful.

And of course, your post is idiotic as you have NO evidence or even hint that the OP did anything wrong. In fact, the OP clearly stated that refused to sign tax returns.

Absent a signing of accountancy or an 'attest report', an accountant is NOT inherently liable for the conduct of his/her employer.

Accountant - Person skilled in the recording and reporting of financial transactions.

 

[HappyHusband]

Accountant - Person skilled in the recording and reporting of financial transactions.

Fun Fact:
The Russian word for accountant is бухгалтер.
It is pronounced "boohk-alter".
Get it? Book Alter

 

[JETX]

Fun Fact:
The Russian word for accountant is бухгалтер.
It is pronounced "boohk-alter".
Get it? Book Alter

US Law Only