Porter Goss: “For years, millions of Americans have known what we are today finally acknowledging here on the floor of the House, that…”

“For years, millions of Americans have known what we are today finally acknowledging here on the floor of the House, that the IRS is inefficient, it is unaccountable, and it is often downright abusive for the very people who pay the salaries, the American taxpayer. Even the most routine audit can strike fear in the hearts of Americans, and even more disturbing is the belief by many Americans that the IRS targets based on partisan political motive. The facts serve to underscore their anxiety. In 1993, the IRS gave the wrong answer to taxpayer questions millions of times. Last year, only one in five calls to the IRS customer hotline apparently got through, and even then we were not sure the answer was right. Today we are taking the first concrete steps to clean up this agency. Congressional hearings have demonstrated clearly and poignantly the need for structural reform at the IRS, and we are acting.”