Tax Analysts Quotes Mark Matthews: McDougal, Instrumental to OVDP Development, to Retire

John McDougal, special trial attorney and division counsel, IRS Small Business/Self-Employed Division, will retire from the IRS early next year, the agency confirmed December 2nd. Mark E. Matthews of Caplin & Drysdale Chtd. said McDougal is someone the private criminal tax bar has depended on for a long time and that he will be missed. "I knew John from my IRS days," Matthews, a former head of the IRS Criminal Investigation division, said. "Ironically, I've worked with him more and had more interaction with him since I left, but I think that's an indication of how willing he has been to be available to the private bar."

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Matthews said McDougal was instrumental to the development of the OVDP as well as the streamlined filing compliance procedures and other alternatives to the OVDP. McDougal has also been involved in enforcement actions such as recent John Doe summonses, Matthews said, adding, "Behind the scenes, we can certainly tell that he has been a very effective and aggressive lawyer for the IRS." (Prior coverage (Doc 2015-20990).)

The private bar has appreciated McDougal's willingness to listen to practitioner concerns about the OVDP and to modify the program to reduce its sometimes harsh results in appropriate circumstances, Matthews said.

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Toscher, Matthews, and Skarlatos each highlighted the importance of McDougal's participation in conferences and other panel discussions. Toscher said that participating in a panel alongside McDougal was not only a learning experience but also an honor and a pleasure.

Matthews said McDougal "has relentlessly made himself available at conferences as needed . . . to answer questions from audiences. He has been particularly transparent and open in explaining the programs and giving advice about those programs."

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Excerpt taken from the article “McDougal, Instrumental to OVDP Development, to Retire” by Nathan J. Richman for Tax Analysts