Dr. Coburn Comments on Tax Day

Press Release

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement regarding tax day in America.

"As another deadline consumes American taxpayers, it's painfully clear now more than ever we must reform our burdensome tax code," Dr. Coburn said. "Americans are fed up with the current system and rightfully so. There's no good reason why Americans should spend 5.8 billion hours and billions of dollars in expenses annually to file their taxes. Our tax system is broken and in desperate need of reform."

As the 60,000-page tax code becomes even more complex, Americans are spending more time and resources in filing their taxes. The IRS estimates its takes about 30 hours for the average taxpayer to fill out a 1040 form. Also, more than six in 10 Americans now hire a professional to help prepare their returns each year. For the 2005 tax season, its estimated businesses and non-profit organizations spent 6.4 billion hours and $265.1 billion to comply with the tax code. Projections show the compliance cost will grow to $482.7 billion by 2015.

Dr. Coburn is a co-sponsor of the Fair Tax Act (S. 1025). Experts have found, on average, a 22 percent cost is embedded in American-made goods and services because of federal taxes, which disadvantages American goods in the global economy. The excessive costs of complying with the tax code exacerbate these disadvantages even more.

"The Fair Tax will remove this added tax burden from American goods and immediately jumpstart our economy. Congress should act to reform the tax code and help American businesses and consumers and increase economic growth," Dr. Coburn said.

Dr. Coburn also said in addition to reforming the tax code, Congress should act to curtail wasteful spending and earmarking. Congress' failure to reform Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, along with its reliance on foreign capital to finance the national debt, has placed our economy in great peril.

"Any reforms to the tax code should be accompanied with cuts in spending. The next generation faces huge tax increases to pay back the debt created today because of our refusal to make hard choices and cut spending. Congress must rein in out-of-control spending to ensure the next generation of Americans can inherit the same opportunities we received."

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