Washington, D.C. – Focused on providing the American public with meaningful tax reforms and holding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) accountable, today Alaskan Congressman Don Young and the U.S. House of Representatives passed a number of bills to improve the nation’s intricate tax code and current IRS operations.
“Most Americans recognize April 15th, and the entire tax filing process, for its extreme complexity and confusion,” said Congressman Don Young. “For too long, the IRS and the American tax code have gotten in the way of the rights of individuals and our economic recovery. The Federal government, particularly the Department entrusted with Americans’ hard earned tax dollars, must be held to the highest of standards. Unfortunately, this has not been the case for the IRS. This week, the House of Representatives has placed its focused on tackling a number of commonsense tax reforms to improve the transparency and operations of the IRS, provide much needed relief for the American taxpayer, and reduce the nation’s growing tax burden. I am proud to support these bills and encourage the Senate to do the same.”
Of the bills passed today, Congressman Young cosponsored H.R. 1058, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2015. This legislation will provide all Americans with basic protections under the law, including the right to receive quality service from the IRS, the right to confidentiality, the right to be informed of decisions about their tax accounts, the right to challenge the IRS’ position, and the right to receive a prompt and fair response.
To prevent the abuse of IRS power, the House also passed the following reforms:
- H.R. 709, Prevent Targeting at the IRS Act, would authorize the immediate termination of IRS employees who target individuals or organizations based on their political beliefs.
- H.R. 1026, Taxpayer Knowledge of IRS Investigations Act, would amend the IRS code to give taxpayers the right to know the status of investigations involving IRS employees who have improperly disclosed their confidential information.
- H.R. 1314, Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act, would codify the right to an appeals process for non-profit organizations whose tax-exempt status has been denied.
- H.R. 1152, IRS Email Transparency Act, would prohibit IRS officers and employees from using personal email accounts to conduct official business.
- H.R. 1295, IRS Bureaucracy Reduction and Judicial Review Act, would allow non-profit organizations to declare their tax-exempt status rather than waiting for the IRS’ bureaucratic approval process, which can often take years.
- H.R. 1104, Fair Treatment For All Gifts Act, would amend the IRS Code to provide a permanent gift tax deduction for gifts made to nonprofit organizations.
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