Chicago and Cook County residents aren’t the only ones about to get shocking tax news; the city is debuting a “tax whistle-blower” plan that could turn neighbor against neighbor in Chicago’s business community. The folks at city hall will pay cash bounties to informants who turn in business tax cheats around the city. The reward would amount to some sort of percentage of the tax money that the city recovers.
“It’s just another way of bringing people into compliance,” Revenue Department spokesman Ed Walsh told the Sun-Times. “It would probably be … a business knowing that a competitor is not remitting a tax. An employee [of the tax-dodging business] could know that, too. Typically, you need to provide some type of incentive.”
I wonder if this will also pay off when you turn in your local corrupt politician. Ya just gotta love it.
Hey, this is Chicago, you just got to know who to pay off to get the problem to go away and “take care” of the informant.
I’m surprised they have to bribe people to do this. After all, people should WANT to do it for free. That’s the American way, right? Everybody should pay their fair share?
This should be really fun to watch!
How far back can the cheating go?
Remember they got Al Capone for not paying his taxes!
Could this all be “politically” or “racially” motivated?
“It’s just another way of bringing people into compliance…”
– What an incredibly ominous sounding statement. Remember the good ol’ days when we at least pretended we weren’t a fascist police state?
It’s interesting they want people to report businesses that are cheating on their taxes. So, basically they are appealing to disgruntled former bookkeepers. Or possibly disgruntled customers: “my burger was undercooked, I’m turning you in as a possible tax cheat”.
There is no honor among thieves. Let them rat each other out. And #5, they don’t get paid unless the state collects the taxes.
“An employee [of the tax-dodging business] could know that, too. ”
Ya, turn in my boss so I can get money to look for a new job in a terrible market for jobs because he’s now out of business so I don’t have a job.
“Typically, you need to provide some type of incentive.”
Ya, great incentive. Seems well thought through.
This doesn’t surprise me that this is coming out of chicago. Of all the places I have been they really are the scummiest. (sorry, cant forget jersey)
Folks will be fleeing in droves from Chicago too, just as in the NY story above this one. They keep ratcheting up the taxes & the place ain’t worth it. Homeless folks eating out of garbage cans & sleeping in alleys under cardboard boxes. Isn’t urban blight charming?
The folks at city hall will pay cash bounties to informants who turn in business tax.