Lewis, Jenkins Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve the IRS

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Oversight Subcommittee Ranking Member John Lewis (D-GA) and Chairman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) released a discussion draft entitled "The Taxpayer First Act." This bipartisan legislation will propose ways to improve the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the first time since 1998.

Ranking Member Lewis said:

"The Oversight Subcommittee took our time and conducted thoughtful, bipartisan work to improve taxpayer administration. We held eight public hearings and hosted five roundtable discussions on many of the legislative proposals included in this draft bill.

"As a result, this is the first time in many years that we will have a bipartisan taxpayer services bill ready for Tax Day. Unfortunately, the bill does not repeal the private debt collection program, but it makes good progress in protecting low- and middle-income taxpayers from harassment and abuse.

"Overall, this experience reminds me of the way that our Committee used to function, and it was wonderful. We produced a serious, thoughtful bill that puts the taxpayer first. I am proud of the process and product, and I hope that we will maintain the bipartisan spirit throughout Committee and Floor consideration."

Chairman Jenkins added:

"I ran for Congress to reform our broken tax code and I am honored to have played a part in the most significant tax reform in 30 years. However, tax reform was only half of our promise. Our attention must now turn to modernizing the IRS and improving the taxpayer experience.

"As a CPA, I know from experience the IRS can be very frustrating to deal with. I am proud of the work this subcommittee has done to advance this initiative in a bipartisan fashion. The IRS reform bill we are releasing today will be a giant step forward in improving the taxpayer experience."

Click here to view the legislative text.

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