History Main / AuditThreat

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Sidereals in TabletopGame/{{Exalted}} occasionally face this, as befits reality-protecting office-worker ninjas of the CelestialBureaucracy.
[[/folder]]

Very much not TruthInTelevision. This is a ''huge'' abuse of police power and is considered misusing state or federal resources, which is a felony under United States law.

* Robert Stack's tycoon character in Film/UncommonValor gets threatened with IRS audits if he continues to fund the operation to go rescue some long-abandoned and left for dead UsefulNotes/VietnamWar prisoners (amongst which is his and TheHero's son). [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome His response]] [[ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules is]] [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight a simple]] [[PrecisionFStrike "fuck you"]].

** In "What's Up, Tiger Mommy?", Sam and Dean try PerpSweating a pawn shop owner into giving up information, but he's not impressed as they're covered by CCTV cameras. Mrs Tran however points out that her brother in the tax department had better not find out about the fancy sports car he's got parked outside.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. Inverted in "The Slice Girls". An academic expects some 'financial remuneration' when consulted on the '[[MonsterOfTheWeek serial killer]]' so Dean pretends they'll have a 'friendly' word with the IRS if they get some cooperation.

* Hiccup uses a similar tactic to get information from Trader Johann in an episode of ''[[DragonsRidersOfBerk Dragons: Race To The Edge]]'':

* Hiccup uses a similar tactic to get information from Trader Johann in an episode of ''[[DragonsDefendersOfBerk Dragons: Race To The Edge]]'':

* ''The Eiger Sanction'' (1975). RetiredBadass Dr Hemlock is coerced back for OneLastJob after Dragon threatens to tip off the IRS about his art collection bought on the black market. He then follows this up with an even worse threat -- the idea of his precious paintings being bought by the gutter public, or even Dragon's [[NumberTwoForBrains brainless henchman Mr Pope]], whom Hemlock loathes.
-->'''Dragon:''' I should think your collection would be interesting material for the Internal Revenue people. How does an underpaid professor buy rare paintings? Masterpieces worth millions.

* In the Eli Sternberg arc in ''{{Wiseguy}}'', Federal Agent [=McPike=] is trying to get some information from a company that does business with the group that they are investigating. They refuse, until [=McPike=] says "If you don't let me in, I will call my friends at the IRS. They eat guys like you for breakfast". The company lets him in immediately.

* In one episode of MurphyBrown, Murphy gets in trouble with the White House (again), and Miles ends up dealing with the fallout.

* In ''Bloodline'', by SidneySheldon, many people would cooperate with any investigation lead by Detective Max Hornung because of the reputation he earned during his previous job as a tax auditor. And only once in the whole book he's ever seen actually threatening someone. He did earn his reputation.

* ''CSINewYork'' has Flack do this a fair bit.

* In ''TheRockfordFiles,'' people in official positions often threaten to have Jim Rockford's private investigator's license reviewed to get him to cooperate.

* ''Series/IDreamofJeannie'': In "My Master The Rich Tycoon" it's case of ''dueling'' audit threats. An IRS man threatens to audit Dr. Bellows if he doesn't cough up some information on Major Nelson. Dr. Bellows threatens to have the IRS man [[{{Conscription}} drafted]]. Touché, Dr. Bellows, touché.

When police or detectives encounter a recalcitrant witness who owns or runs a business, and they get him to talk by threatening to sic a government agency on them. This threat usually opens the witness's mouth, especially if the business deals in mostly cash, or is obviously less than reputable. Government agencies often used in the threat include tax agencies like [[IntimidatingRevenueService the IRS]] and regulatory bodies like liquor licensing boards.

When police or detectives encounter a recalcitrant witness who owns or runs a business, and they get him to talk by threatening to sic a government agency on them. This threat usually opens the witness's mouth, especially if the business deals in mostly cash, or is obviously less than reputable. Government agencies often used in the threat include tax agencies like the IRS and regulatory bodies like liquor licensing boards.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', [[MagnificentBastard Lord Vetinari]] mentions to a complaining guild that, incidentally, they were on the taxpayer register last he looked.
** In ''Literature/MenAtArms,'' the City Watch (under Corporal Carrot) uses this to get some weapons to deal with the civil unrest in Ankh-Morpork from the armory.

* In one episode of MurphyBrown, Murphy gets in trouble with the White House (again), and Miles ends up dealing with the fallout.
-->'''Miles:''' I made a new friend today: Dave, head of the Secret Service. Nice guy, I think he really meant it when he said he hoped there were no mistakes on my last ''seven tax returns''!

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