Disbarment of Tax Professionals On The Rise

Posted on November 08, 2013

The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is in charge of overseeing individuals that practice before the IRS to ensure that those individuals adhere to professional standards and follow the law. The Office of Professional Responsibility also has the ability to discipline individuals that practice before the IRS if they have been found to do something improper.

Because of the substantial increase in internet tax scams and unethical practices of some large national tax representation firms and others, the OPR has expanded not only its oversight of tax practitioners but its enforcement practices as well. The expansion of OPR’s enforcement practices is evident insofar as it has disbarred eight practitioners to date in 2013. Although this is not a large number in absolute terms, it represents an exponential increase when compared with the two individuals who were disbarred in all of 2012, explained OPR Director Karen Hawkins on October 22, 2013.

Patrick T. Sheehan and Associates has been in business since 1991 and strictly adheres to the highest legal and ethical standards. Since 1991, Patrick T. Sheehan and Associates has seen innumerable cases of what they feel to be improper conduct by tax professionals, mostly from the large national tax representation firms. On several occasions, Patrick T. Sheehan has personally written to the IRS Director of Practice regarding improper conduct of practitioners. “Unfortunately, we believe that our concerns have fallen on deaf ears” said Sheehan. “However, with the recent expansion of OPR in terms of both oversight and enforcement, perhaps our past concerns will now be addressed. It is imperative that taxpayers are protected from unscrupulous practitioners who act outside of the law.”

Have you been improperly treated by an unethical tax practitioner? Let Patrick T. Sheehan and Associates, Chicago based tax attorneys look into the matter and help represent you properly and ethically before the IRS.