Tax Policy
Part II: “Neither Confirm nor Deny the Existence of the TECs Database”: IRS Using the TECs Database to Track Taxpayers Movements – and Assets
Part II: This is a follow-up to the federal government’s database known as “TECS” (Treasury Enforcement Communication System)that is now operated by the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). The IRS uses it to track travel, trips, movement and even asset movements (e.g., wire transfers) by U.S. citizen taxpayers; including those residing outside the U.S.
See, “Neither Confirm nor Deny the Existence of the TECs data”: IRS Using the TECs Database to Track Taxpayers Movements –, posted Dec. 13, 2014.
This previous post described how the U.S. federal government uses the TECS to locate assets and travel patterns of U.S. citizens; specifically outside the U.S. The IRS trains their employees to (1) Not discuss TECS with taxpayers; (2) Neither confirm nor deny existence of TECS; (3) Keep in separate “Confidential” envelope; and (4) Stamp documents as “OFFICIAL USE ONLY”
The image in this post reflects a page from IRS training materials for their employees; e.g., revenue agents (those individuals who audit taxpayers and determine tax deficiencies and the like), revenue officers (those individuals who work on collecting taxes owed or alleged to be owed) and chief counsel attorneys (those individuals who litigate tax cases against taxpayers); among other IRS employees.
Frankly, there is not a lot of detailed law about how and when the IRS can use TECS or other tracking techniques of individuals and their assets. There are no tax cases (at least none that I am aware of) where the Courts have tried to impose limits on the use and methods of the federal government in collecting this type of TECS information. Indeed, there are specific provisions granting broad use of taxpayer information when the government alleges there is a “terrorist incident, threat, or activity” as that term is defined in IRC Section § 6103.
On the other hand, there are important laws about how the IRS cannot generally disclose taxpayer information. For instance, see the same code section IRC Section § 6103 for wrongful disclosures of taxpayers’ information. That statute makes it a violation (even a criminal violation in certain willful circumstances) to disclose taxpayer information in “most” (or at least many) circumstances. The statute is comprehensive and there is a lot of case law interpreting various provisions. A good overview of the statute can be found in the Criminal Tax Manual for the Department of Justice, Tax Division – Chapter 42.00
A recent case (United States v. Garrity, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 66372 (D. Conn. 2016), discussed in Jack Townsend’s blog, was one where the IRS had disclosed the name of a deceased taxpayer Paul G. Garrity, Sr. regarding his foreign (non-U.S.) accounts. The disclosure included IRS investigation techniques that were disclosed as part of a FOIA request, which ultimately made it to the public. This was found to be disclosure of return information as defined by IRC Section § 6103. However, the Court there found that there was no violation of the statute by the IRS, as the taxpayer was deceased by the time the claim was brought by the estate. The government made a Title 31 FBAR penalty assessment of over US$1M including interest and penalties that is still pending.
It seems to me that the use of the TECS database by the IRS and Section 6103 are a bit like two heads of a coin. It all deals with taxpayer information and what rights, if any do taxpayers have to protect their personal and financial information – especially where it can (purposefully or inadvertently – e.g., through a data breach/hacking) be released to the public.
There are many unanswered questions as there has been little to no litigation regarding how and when the TECS database can and should be used.
Does the government have any limits on its use?
This ultimately becomes more of a policy discussion about how and to what extent can/should the federal government have and use and collect personal financial and travel information of individuals (particularly for tax purposes)?
As FATCA data collection has now allowed exchanges of millions of records, these questions in my view take on even greater importance. See 21 Dec 2015 post, Foreign Government Receives a “FATCA Christmas Gift” from IRS: 1 Gigabyte of U.S. Financial Information.
See a prior related post, 19 Jan 2014 – Should IRS use Department of Homeland Security to Track Taxpayers Overseas Re: Civil (not Criminal) Tax Matters? The IRS works with Department of Homeland Security with TECs Database to Track Movement of Taxpayers
Key Concepts of Senate Finance Chairman Hatch’s Proposal Re: “Non-Resident U.S. Citizens”
The complete report can be located at the Senate Finance Committee website at Comprehensive Tax Reform for 2015 and Beyond – Senate Republican Staff –
The crucial policy considerations are set out in the report. The key paragraph of the report is reproduced here:
The principle idea is to impose U.S. income taxation on U.S. sources only for U.S. citizens residing overseas. The report leaves many unanswered questions. One of those questions is how to integrate the “expatriation tax rules” into such a concept? There is one sentence addressing this point, which contemplates the “mark to market exit tax” will continue as part of the law, if such a proposal were to become law.
The report does not discuss how the U.S. transfer tax system (U.S. estate, gift and generation skipping transfer taxes) might be reformed. Current law, imposes worldwide U.S. estate, gift and generation skipping transfer taxes on the worldwide assets of a U.S. citizen.
Time will tell if such a proposal gets any political traction in Congress or at the White House.
Will Congress and the President Finally Act in 2015 to Repeal or Modify U.S. Citizenship Based Taxation?
U.S. citizenship based taxation has been the law since its origins from the U.S. civil war. See, The U.S. Civil War is the Origin of U.S. Citizenship Based Taxation on Worldwide Income for Persons Living Outside the U.S. ***Does it still make sense?
Throughout most of the last 100+/- years, there has never been a repeal of U.S. citizenship based taxation. Indeed, it is difficult to locate any legislative proposals from years past (if there were any) that proposed such a modification.
However, it is worth noting the following string of events over the last 18 months, which may indicate U.S. citizenship based tax reform could be possible:
- For the first time, both political parties and the President have identified issues with the current U.S. citizenship based taxation rules which they have proposed to modify;
- Second, there have been a number of serious proposals to modify and repeal U.S. citizenship based taxation. See, the American Citizens Abroad proposal (ACA proposal). See, “Tax Simplification: The Need for Consistent Tax Treatment of All Individuals (Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents and Non-Citizens Regardless of Immigration Status) Residing Overseas, Including the Repeal of U.S. Citizenship Based Taxation,” by Patrick W. Martin and Professor Reuven Avi-Yonah, among several others;
- Third, a little over a year ago, the Senate Finance Committee, which was then controlled by Democrats identified U.S. citizenship based taxation as an international competitiveness issue. See, Senate Finance Report on International Competitiveness Identifies Possible “Expatriation” Reforms for U.S. Citizens Residing Overseas. Will U.S. citizens who live outside the U.S. find any relief soon?
- Fourth, in December of 2014, the the Senate Finance Committee Republican Staff issued a detailed report dedicating substantial discussion and analysis to “Non-Resident U.S. Citizens”. See pages 282 and 283 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform for 2015 and Beyond – Senate Republican Staff
- Fifth, the President in his Green Book proposal in February 2015, addressed (although in only the most narrow of circumstances), the need for reform of U.S. citizenship based taxation. See, The Proposal by the President to Exempt Certain U.S. Citizens from Worldwide Taxation: – Very Small, Select Group
This is the first time in my career, where both political parties and the President are at least talking about the possibility of tax reform in this area.
There is one key piece of the legislative puzzle missing from the above picture. The House has not weighed in on a proposal to modify substantially or repeal U.S. citizenship based taxation. See, former House Ways and Means Committee Chair Camp’s proposal to modify substantially international tax policy and rules (Making America A More Attractive Place To Hire and Invest: International Tax Reform). These House proposals do not include U.S. citizenship based taxation reform. In addition, I am not aware of any Democrats in the House who are pushing such a reform.
Even if there is approval in both the Senate and with the President (as there has been in other major legislative reform proposal, such as immigration), it is entirely possible the House will block any such U.S. citizenship based tax reform.
The Last Great Power of Nations – Sovereignty – Is the Power to Tax
The global world has created a world of global technology and commerce that has far surpassed the ability of governments to keep up or track effectively global markets, global finance, global commerce and even global movement of ideas through the internet.
Someone much smarter than I, with a dedicated career in tax policy with the federal government, recently pointed out that the last great power of governments as sovereigns, is the power to tax. In the case of the U.S., it’s the power to tax its citizens wherever they reside. That power was first exercised in the 19th Century during the U.S. Civil War. See, The U.S. Civil War is the Origin of U.S. Citizenship Based Taxation on Worldwide Income for Persons Living Outside the U.S. ***Does it still make sense?
Government tax authorities have in the past worked as silos of information, country by country and within each country. In contrast, global technology and global finance and commerce works as part of a world wide web of activity, information flow and business transactions.
The move afoot by governments to collect global financial information of individual and corporate taxpayers (via FATCA in the case of the U.S. – and the Common Reporting Standard for automatic exchange of tax information in the case of the OECD countries) is an attempt to move away from the country by country information silos of any particular country and reach into the world wide web of activity, specifically financial information and related commercial activity throughout the world. See, OECD’s Automatic Exchange of Information – Following the U.S. Lead of FATCA – for Better or for Worse
As governments protect their last great power as sovereigns, i.e., the power to tax, this move of collecting global financial and commercial information will continue to grow and expand for the foreseeable future.