IRS Pays Whistleblower $4.5 Mil

The IRS has paid its first whistleblower award. And it's a doozy at $4.5 million dollars -- before taxes, that is. An in-house company accountant in Pennsylvania raised a red flag about a tax mistake his employer ignored. He tipped off the IRS, which eventually collected $20 million in taxes and interest. The employee received 22 percent. Senator Charles Grassley sponsored the 2006 bill creating the IRS whistleblower office. He tells the AP, the award ought to encourage more people to blow the whistle.