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Proposed Regulations Narrow Ability of Private Attorneys to Participate on Behalf of IRS in Exams

Posted on Apr. 2, 2018

A few years ago we discussed litigation involving Microsoft (see, eg., Keith’s Enforcing the Summons Against Microsoft), which implicated Treasury regulations that allowed private lawyers to participate in exams. While the litigation did not strike down that practice, it was heavily criticized, and Treasury now proposes to scale back the practice significantly.

Last week Treasury has proposed to “significantly narrow the scope of the current regulations by excluding non-government attorneys from receiving summoned books, papers, records, or other data or from participating in the interview of a witness summoned by the IRS to provide testimony under oath, with a limited exception.”

The exception relates to lawyers who have expertise in issues other than federal tax law, such as state, local or other countries’ tax laws, or in other substantive areas, like patent law. The exception does not extent to nonsubstantive specialized knowledge (like litigation skills).

Treasury regulations still permit other outside specialists like economists to “receive and review summoned information and fully participate in the summons interview, including questioning witnesses.” The proposed regs also allow for lawyers who are not acting as lawyers but who are performing services associated with outside permitted specialists to participate.

The proposed regs attempt to restrike the balance between the need for outside assistance to help administer the tax laws with the “perceived risk that the IRS may not be able to maintain full control over the actions of a non-government attorney hired by the IRS when such an attorney, with the limited exception described below, questions witnesses.”

Perhaps the rebalancing of these interests will inspire a fresh look at the private debt collection issue, an area that likewise has raised questions about risks associated with non-government employees performing essential IRS functions.

4/3 Update: Title Changed to clarify we are talking about IRS limitations!

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