The public now has a way to anonymously report allegations of tax fraud without fear of recrimination, according to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue.

By calling 1-800-380-3495 or by sending an e-mail message to Taxfraudhotline@dcgov.org, people can report a person’s failure to file taxes, their unreported income, falsified tax returns, real property tax fraud or even the sale of Social Security numbers, city officials said.

Allegations will be kept confidential and will be investigated by the tax office or referred to the D.C. Office of Inspector General, officials said.

"We hope the tax fraud hotline will serve as a safe source for taxpayers to turn to when they are faced with the dilemma of keeping quiet or reporting fraudulent activities related to tax fraud or tax evasion," said Wilma Mathias, director of the tax office’s Internal Audit-Internal Security Administration.

Natwar Gandhi, deputy chief financial officer for tax and revenue, said the hotline was established "as an opportunity for the honest taxpayer to balance the scorecard with tax cheats and to assure them that the District of Columbia is serious about pursuing tax cheats."

The Office of Tax and Revenue also has established a Voluntary Disclosure Program, which invites taxpayers who are not in full compliance with D.C. tax laws to come forward on their own. Taxpayers who want to participate in the voluntary compliance program should contact assistant audit manager Thomas Kerwin at (202) 442-6883. Participants in the program must have come forward on their own without having first been contacted by the Office of Tax and Revenue.

Copyright 1999, The Common Denominator