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Internal Revenue Service: Status of IRS' Efforts to Deal With Integrity and Ethics Issues

GGD-92-16 Published: Dec 31, 1991. Publicly Released: Dec 31, 1991.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reported on the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) response to recommendations it made regarding integrity issues, focusing on: (1) improved employee communication and ethics awareness; and (2) perceptions about IRS disciplinary actions.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Internal Revenue Service IRS should focus attention on improving communications with employees and encouraging ethics awareness.
Closed – Implemented
IRS has taken a number of steps; it has provided at least 8 hours of ethics training to almost 13,000 employees, published hotline numbers, and established regional ethics coordinators.
Internal Revenue Service IRS should publicize summary information about misconduct cases and sanctions taken against employees at all levels.
Closed – Implemented
In March 1992, IRS published an agency-wide newsletter, providing sanitized examples of improper activities by employees, managers, and executives and sanctions imposed.
Internal Revenue Service IRS should use its Automated Labor Employee Relations Tracking System to review adjudicative actions against IRS employees to ensure that sanctions are adequately and equitably applied.
Closed – Implemented
The Automated Labor Employee Relations Tracking System (ALERTS) has been enhanced to provide a comprehensive comparative database on disciplinary actions.
Human Resources Division IRS National Office Human Resource staff should oversee adjudication of disciplinary actions involving misconduct by IRS senior employees to eliminate perception of disparate treatment of these cases.
Closed – Implemented
In January 1992, IRS consolidated the adjudication process for these cases, with all decisions coordinated by Human Resources staff.

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Topics

Tax Policy and Administration
Disciplinary actionsEducationEthical conductFederal employeesFederal records managementInvestigations by federal agenciesLabor relationsManagement information systemsPersonnel managementTax administrationWorking conditions