Hearing Statement: "Stimulus Contractors Who Cheat on Their Taxes: What Happened"

Statement

Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing, "Stimulus Contractors Who Cheat on Their Taxes: What Happened." For more information on the hearing or to watch a webcast, please click here. A copy of Sen. Carper's remarks, as prepared for delivery, follows:

"The findings released by the Government Accountability Office today are deeply concerning, but unfortunately not surprising. We've known for some time that there's a significant tax gap in this country, and in some cases we've found that government contractors are contributing to the problem. As we continue to develop a culture of thrift within our government, it's always best to go after the low-hanging fruit first. Reducing the tax gap is a common-sense approach to combating our nation's mushrooming budget deficits. Millions of Americans pay their taxes properly and on-time. However, those who fail to pay their fair share not only create a burden that our economy simply cannot sustain but they force their fellow Americans who play by the rules to pay more in taxes.

"In the coming weeks, I look forward to offering legislation that takes the necessary steps to crack down on lawbreakers, which will lower costs for law-abiding Americans and reduce our deficit."

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