IRS Abuse Reports:
(copy of Historical reference)
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| April
30, 1998 |
IRS Reform Talking Points
- The IRS is out of control.
- The Senate bill makes the IRS more
accountable to taxpayers.
- This goal is too important for partisan
politics or extraneous amendments.
- This bill is part of our continuing effort
to change the Washington tax culture.
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- The IRS is out of control. This week's Senate
Finance Committee hearings have again demonstrated to
the American public how important it is that we pass
this bill, and then continue to monitor this powerful
agency.
- We heard how the agency uses investigative
techniques -- usually reserved for violent and
dangerous criminals -- against average taxpayers. We
heard stories from taxpayers who experienced armed
raids of their homes and businesses -- which later
proved to be unwarranted and the taxpayers were fully
cleared of any wrongdoing --based on the flimsiest of
evidence.
| Example:
John Colaprete, owner of a restaurant in Virginia
Beach, testified that IRS agents raided his
business and home after a bookkeeper, whom he had
discovered embezzling, went to the IRS and told
agents a lurid tale of drug dealing and
gunrunning. Colaprete was not charged with any
crimes and after four months of scrutinizing
records, the IRS returned most of them in a rental
truck by dumping the items on the street in front
of his business. |
- We have uncovered the use of quotas and statistics
used as performance standards for advancement in the
agency, pitting IRS employees against taxpayers in
adversarial and potentially destructive
confrontations.
| Example:
An agent testified last fall that, "abuses by
the IRS...are indicative of a pervasive disregard
of law and regulations designed to achieve
production goals for either management or the
individual agent." (9/25/97 - Witness #3) |
- We have uncovered how the IRS harasses and
retaliates against its own employees while misbehaving
bosses are protected and even promoted.
| Example:
A Treasury deputy assistant inspector general who
was promoted to IRS national director of equal
employment opportunity and diversity -- yet this
was while he had several sexual harassment
complaints outstanding against him. He then was
the subject of more complaints, and ultimately was
given a letter of reprimand and reassigned without
demotion. |
- Our agenda is simple. We must ensure that the IRS
serves the American people, not the other way around.
- Next week, we intend to do just that. The Senate
will consider legislation to reform and restructure
the IRS' management to make the agency more
service-oriented. It will also end, once and for all,
the IRS' reckless disregard of taxpayer rights and the
harassment of its own employees.
- Some critics claim that Republicans are trying to
"intimidate the IRS like the IRS has intimidated
taxpayers," or that the IRS hearings were
"staged." -- Which hearing should have
been canceled? What taxpayer's story shouldn't have
been told? What reform shouldn't have been made?
- IRS reform legislation must remain above partisan
politics. Everyone should work together to pass this
bill and not attempt to add "poison pills"
which threaten its passage.
- This legislation is the second step in our
three-step process to fundamentally change the
Washington tax culture:
- Reduce the collection -- cutting
middle-class taxes.
- Reform the collector -- reining in the IRS.
- Replace the complexity -- overhauling the
tax code.
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- These are NOT one-time solutions, but continuing
steps to reduce the tax burden on America's taxpayers.
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