Sen. Grassley has a strong record of working on behalf of taxpayer rights, as the co- author of the first, second and third Taxpayers Bills of Rights. He was a proactive member of the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS which beginning in 1996, conducted a year-long review of agency problems. Grassley is a member of the IRS oversight subcommittee in the Senate.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the final IRS reform bill on Thursday. The Senate will vote on Friday or immediately following the July 4th recess. Here is Sen. Grassley's comment regarding completion of the conference report.
"I helped start this process two years ago, as a member of the National Commission on Restructing the IRS. On the commission, we saw a lot of foot- dragging by the IRS. Sometimes we faced a literal stone wall. Left to fend for itself, the IRS had mastered its independence and grew out-of-control over 45 years, all at the taxpayers' expense. Furthermore, our initial efforts at IRS reform ? the bill Sen. Bob Kerrey and I introduced in July 1997 ? were met with great resistance from the "Chicken Littles" in Washington, D.C. Operating with a sky- is-falling mentality, insiders fought our efforts to let the sun shine in on a runaway government bureaucracy.
"Thanks to Finance Committee Chairman Bill Roth, our efforts to fix the IRS struck a chord with the grassroots. Oversight hearings exposed serious mistreatment of taxpayers and helped us reach this point. At long last, Congress has done its part to make the IRS a friendlier, more courteous, customer-oriented service center. The reform plan holds the IRS to the same high standards the agency demands of the taxpayers.
"For my part, I'm glad the bill includes my initiatives for better oversight. For example, there's a new inspector general for tax administration in the Treasury department, devoted solely to the IRS. There's a new independent oversight board. There will be mandatory congressional hearings for five years. I also set goals to enhance taxpayer rights. This bill includes relief for innocent spouses. It shifts the burden of proof in certain circumstances away from the taxpayer and to the IRS. It increases due process for levy, lien and seizure. When this bill is signed by the President, it will represent a real victory for the American taxpayer."