Paul Coverdell: “I appreciate his being here this afternoon to talk about the issue of the Internal Revenue Service and its broader…”

“I appreciate his being here this afternoon to talk about the issue of the Internal Revenue Service and its broader implications on taxes. As you know, Madam President, one of the centerpieces of Senator Dole's economic plan is to focus on the IRS and how it interacts with the American people. A congressional audit of the Internal Revenue Service asserted yesterday that the agency that scrutinizes taxpayers' finances cannot properly-- Cannot properly. keep track of the $1.4 trillion it collects each year. Given the stories--and all of us are familiar with them, of the way taxpayers are treated from time to time by this agency --it is a bit ironic that the General Accounting Office would say that they cannot keep track of the money they collect. It goes on to say: ``The agency that is so strict on the way Americans keep their books cannot itself pass a financial audit,'' complained Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee.”