Tax Week Met With Votes for IRS Accountability
WASHINGTON – Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) joined his House colleagues this week in voting for measures to hold the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) accountable to American taxpayers. Monday (April 18) was the final day for taxpayers to submit tax returns, payments or extension requests for tax year 2015.
“On Monday, taxpayers across America were completing their tax returns and in many cases, paying large tax bills as a result of higher taxes imposed by the Obama administration,” Westerman said. “In response, the House this week has voted on numerous tax bills that would hold the IRS accountable and protect taxpayers from an agency whose power is out of control. A change in our tax laws is long overdue and while the House has not fixed everything this week, it is a first step on the long road to a fairer tax code and a smaller government. The American worker deserves to keep as much of their hard earned money as possible, and they deserve a tax system that is fair and transparent.”
The following bills were passed by the House this week:
- H. Res. 687:Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1206) to prohibit the hiring of additional Internal Revenue Service employees until the Secretary of the Treasury certifies that no employee of the Internal Revenue Service has a seriously delinquent tax debt;
- H.R. 3724:Ensuring Integrity in the IRS Workforce Act of 2016;
- H.R. 4885:IRS Oversight While Eliminating Spending (OWES) Act of 2016;
- H.R. 4890:To impose a ban on the payment of bonuses to employees of the Internal Revenue Service until the Secretary of the Treasury develops and implements a comprehensive customer service strategy; and
- H.R. 4903:To prohibit the use of funds by the Internal Revenue Service to target citizens of the United States for exercising any right guaranteed under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.