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Offshore Disclosure Program a Success, Will Remain Open

By Sally P. Schreiber, J.D.

Please note: This item is from our archives and was published in 2015. It is provided for historical reference. The content may be out of date and links may no longer function.

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From the IRS

In a news release reiterating its focus on taxpayers who hold money offshore (IR-2015-09), the IRS stated that it intends to keep its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) open until it announces otherwise. The OVDP was restarted in 2012 after earlier time-limited programs had closed.

Since the first program, which began in 2009, the IRS has received over 50,000 disclosures and collected more than $7 billion. In addition, the IRS has conducted both civil and criminal proceedings apart from the OVDP that have produced large amounts of civil and criminal penalties.

The IRS restated its commitment to pursuing taxpayers who hide assets overseas all over the world. Many taxpayers have been identified by the IRS as evading U.S. taxes by hiding income in offshore banks, brokerage accounts, or nominee entities. Other taxpayers have used foreign trusts, employee-leasing schemes, private annuities, or insurance plans for the same purpose. The IRS uses information from its investigations to work with the U.S. Department of Justice in criminally prosecuting these taxpayers. For more on the OVDP, see “Guiding Clients Through the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program.”