Office of Tax and Revenue: Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC - The District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) is cracking down on fraudulent homestead deductions, tax evasion and other false tax claims. The agency is encouraging the public to report tax fraud by calling their toll-free tax fraud hotline at 1-800-380-3495, or via e-mail at Taxfraudhotline@dcgov.org.

You may anonymously report anything from a person's failure to file taxes, to unreported income, to falsifying information on tax returns, to real property tax fraud, to the sale of Social Security numbers. All allegations will be kept confidential and will be investigated by OTR or referred to the DC Office of Inspector General.

"Due to our stepped up compliance efforts, we are aggressively pursuing all types of tax evasion, fraud or misrepresentation, no matter what the amount of tax owed," said Deputy Chief Financial Officer Herbert J. Huff. "For example, if you know someone who is fraudulently taking a homestead deduction or not declaring income from a basement rental unit, we encourage you to call the hotline. The hotline is another way of acknowledging that everyone must pay his or her fair share and that we are serious about protecting District revenue."

The District depends on the collection of taxes to pay for everything from public safety initiatives, better education programs, and economic development, to feeding the hungry, helping senior citizens and youth development.

When a person contacts the hotline, he or she can expect the hotline staff to conduct a thorough evaluation of the details of the allegation. If deemed necessary, a civil or criminal investigation will be launched. If a call is viewed as phony, then the information will be disregarded as false. Many individuals who have information about illegal activities may not call for fear of retaliatory actions by the alleged tax abuser. However, caller identities will be kept confidential.

"We offer the tax fraud hotline as a safe source for taxpayers when they are faced with the dilemma of keeping quiet or reporting fraudulent activities related to tax fraud or tax evasion," said Wilma Matthias, director of OTR's Internal Audit/Internal Security Administration, which administers the hotline.