Hudson Votes to Dramatically Reform IRS
April 18, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2018
Hudson Votes to Dramatically Reform IRS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement after the House passed bipartisan legislation to reform the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and dramatically refocus it back to its “taxpayer first” mission:
“After the targeting scandal and e-mail fiasco at the IRS, I helped champion laws to stop IRS abuse like political targeting, hold agency employees accountable for misconduct and help make the tax code work for all Americans,” said Rep. Hudson. “Today’s legislation builds on those efforts and dramatically reforms the IRS. We’re tipping the balance of power back to American taxpayers and away from Washington bureaucrats.”
Today the House passed the 21st Century IRS Act (H.R. 5445) which takes steps to provide greater accountability, transparency, and security for IRS information technology (IT). The IRS has two of the ten oldest IT systems in the federal government, dating back to the 1960s. The legislation passed will:
- Foster and strengthen the IRS’s partnership with states and the private sector as they continue to combat the threat of identity theft tax refund fraud;
- Create a single point of contact for victims of identity theft to ensure that taxpayers can quickly and efficiently get their case resolved; and
- Strengthen IRS accountability on agency IT modernization efforts.
The House also passed the Taxpayer First Act (H.R. 5444) tocreate an independent appeals process to review taxpayer disputes with an impartial, fresh look so that taxpayers are treated fairly. This bill will also:
- Ensure there’s a level playing field and taxpayers have access to the same information as the IRS during the dispute resolution process;
- Add needed reforms to the IRS’ enforcement tools so that families and businesses don’t have to be worried about having their assets seized without proper, timely, and fair notices;
- Permanently authorize the Free File and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs, which provide tax filing assistance to low and moderate-income Americans; and
- Require the IRS to submit to Congress a thoughtful, comprehensive plan on how to restructure the agency by September 2020.
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Issues:Economy and JobsTax Reform