IRS Whistleblower’s Anonymity

A U.S. district court said that a retired CPA who blew the whistle on publicly-traded corporation (not his client) based on SEC filings could remain anonymous. The CPA made a whistleblower claim, which the IRS denied. He filed an action in Tax Court to contest the denial and didn’t want his name divulged on the grounds it could cause severe damage to his reputation. But the Tax Court said no because he was a “serial filer” who used publicly available information. The district court said this was no basis for denying anonymity and sent the case back to Tax Court for further review.