It's Tax Day and Time to Rein in the IRS

Press Release

On Tax Day, Ohioans don't need a reminder of the distrust that is brewing with the IRS. After all, the IRS targeting of conservative groups started in our own backyard. Today, hardworking Americans remain vulnerable to IRS abuse as more and more misconduct and mismanagement, well beyond the Cincinnati IRS office, is uncovered by Congress. Recently, for example, we learned that the IRS rehired hundreds of employees who were previously fired for "serious conduct and performance problems" and that the Justice Department declined to prosecute Lois Lerner, the IRS official at the center of the targeting scandal.

Ohioans and all Americans deserve better and that is why the House is passing a series of bills that rein in IRS abuse, hold the agency accountable, and push for more transparency.

Congressman John Boehner issued the following statement upon passage of IRS reforms in the House:

"This isn't just about passing common-sense reforms. We do that every day. This is about stamping out a culture of arrogance at the IRS. It is a culture in which bureaucrats have willfully targeted citizens for their political beliefs, seized assets from law-abiding small business owners, and routinely wasted taxpayer dollars. All the while, the Obama administration has tried to stonewall the problem away. We owe it to every taxpayer to make sure the abuses of power at the IRS are neither tolerated nor repeated. These reforms will move us closer to achieving both goals, and I applaud Chairman Roskam for his leadership. Let's keep at it so we can look back on this Tax Day as Reckoning Day for the IRS."

Here's a quick rundown of how some of these measures will protect taxpayers:

A Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act: Creates a strong set of basic rights for taxpayers, including the right to quality service, the right to confidentiality, and fairness.

Prevent Targeting at the IRS Act: Authorizes the IRS to terminate employees who engage in political targeting.

A bill to prohibit personal email for official IRS business.

Taxpayer Knowledge of IRS Investigations Act: Affords taxpayers the right to know the status of investigations pertaining to their personal information.

IRS Bureaucracy Reduction and Judicial Review Act: Would allow organizations to declare their tax-exempt status rather than wait for bureaucratic approval.

Fair Treatment of All Gifts Act: Prevents the IRS from applying a gift tax to donations to nonprofit organizations, protecting American's political beliefs.

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