Fleming Works to Halt IRS Audits

Statement

Congressman John Fleming, M.D., released the following statement today about his Halt the IRS bill (H.R. 2045), which would suspend the ability of the Internal Revenue Service to start new audits for a period of six months:

"New reports of IRS targeting surface each day, even as those who were supposed to be in charge refuse to answer questions, deny culpability, and claim there was nothing illegal about the agency's actions. According to one new report, 90% of returns that claimed an adoption tax credit were given additional review and nearly 70% of all the adoption credit claims were audited. There are unique challenges and high costs involved in adoption, and the tax credit is intended to provide a degree of balance that encourages adoption. Unfortunately, the IRS appeared to target the very families who chose to adopt children.

"Congress must continue to hold hearings to get to the bottom of the IRS misconduct, but we must also disarm the agency by suspending its power to launch new audits. The time has come to turn the IRS upside down, shake out all the corruption and wrongdoing, and transform how we do federal taxes."

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