Taxpayer-rights bills reintroduced in House

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee chairman, reintroduced a pair of bills — the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (H.R. 1058) and Protecting Taxpayers from Intrusive IRS Requests Act (H.R. 1059) — on Wednesday to protect the rights of taxpayers.

“In the past month alone, we learned that the IRS hired the contractor responsible for the disastrous rollout of Healthcare.gov and rehired over 300 employees who were previously fired for misconduct or performance issues, including some who had mishandled sensitive taxpayer information,” Roskam said. “Stories like these continue to erode public trust in the federal government, and the IRS in particular. This year, we have an opportunity to chart a new path forward by enacting these critical bills to preserve the most fundamental rights of American citizens.”

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights would guarantee that taxpayers working with the IRS have the right of appeal, the right to confidentiality, and the right to be assisted and informed. The Protecting Taxpayers from Intrusive IRS Requests Act would prevent the IRS from questioning a taxpayer about his or her political, social or religious beliefs.

Both bills passed the House unanimously in the 113th Congress. Should the legislation become law, the bills would become a core part of the IRS commissioner’s primary responsibilities.