Anna Eshoo: “I thank our beloved John Lewis for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5444, the…”

“I thank our beloved John Lewis for yielding time to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5444, the Taxpayer First Act. This is bipartisan legislation, and it was unanimously reported out by the Committee on Ways and Means on April 13. It includes a number of important provisions that will modernize, as the Members have been saying, and improve how the IRS administers the Federal Tax Code. The legislation also makes permanent a popular IRS program that has helped prepare 50 million free returns and e-filings over the last 15 years, saving taxpayers more than $1.5 billion--yes, with a B--in tax compliance costs. That program is the Free File Program. It is an effective partnership between the IRS and the tax preparation community that provides free individual tax preparation and e-filing services to taxpayers with incomes in the bottom 70 percent. I have been a strong supporter of stand-alone legislation on this issue over several Congresses, and I am really pleased to see that it is included in H.R. 5444. The Free File Program is also a product of the decentralized system of private taxpayers that we have in place for the American public to file their taxes each year. Consumers have a choice when it comes to whom they choose to prepare their taxes, and choice is a product of competition and the primary ingredient for innovation.…”