The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would be prohibited from hiring additional tax enforcement personnel until it processes its backlogged tax returns from the past two years under legislation proposed on Feb. 18 by U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA).
“Our solution is simple: rather than weaponize the IRS to go after hard-working Americans, let’s ensure it is focused on helping those desperately awaiting it to conduct its basic function,” said Rep. Carter last week.
The congressman joined a dozen other Republican original cosponsors to introduce the IRS Processing Returns Instead Of Removing Innocent Taxpayers’ Income Every Season (PRIORITIES) Act of 2022, H.R. 6800, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) to address the more than eight million unprocessed individual tax returns from tax years 2019 and 2020.
“The IRS is failing the American people and must do more to address its unacceptable backlog,” Rep. Carter said. “As a result, small businesses and families are struggling to do basic things for which a completed tax return is prerequisite.”
Among the members who joined Rep. Carter as an original cosponsor of H.R. 6800 are U.S. Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA ), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and French Hill (R-AR).
“The backlog at the Internal Revenue Service has reached beyond unacceptable levels, and the Biden administration has refused to address this situation with the attention it deserves,” said Rep. Latta. “People in Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District contact my office frequently to share they are experiencing significant delays or even worse, they have yet to receive their tax returns after two years of waiting.
“This is entirely unacceptable and action must be taken,” he added. “The American people deserve better from the IRS, especially as we approach the tax filing deadline.”
Rep. Thompson said that the Biden administration wants to “weaponize the IRS” to fund massive spending bills.
H.R. 6800, said Rep. Thompson, would “ensure taxpayers still waiting for their returns are prioritized and they get what they are owed. This has gone on for too long and the administration must be held accountable.”
Rep. Hill called H.R. 6800 an important bill “that bars the IRS from hiring additional tax enforcement personnel until they tackle this backlog and American taxpayers receive their hard-earned money.”
The measure has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.