Charles Boustany

We could do a lot for our country if we were to do all these things.

First, don't punish your current energy production.

And it is exceedingly frustrating to me to see that we don't have a strategy, going forward, for our country on energy security and to move us forward.

Now they are retrofitting, planning a retrofit to export natural gas, which we would have never thought this, five years ago.

We are a leader in oil and gas production, we have got lots of pipelines.

I was reluctant. I looked at this bill, the Nat Gas Act, I said, 'Well, it is going counter to what we want to do with tax reform.'

At what point do we use tax policy to drive some of these decisions, rather than having tax policy driving all of our energy decisions in a very incoherent way?

Natural gas is really the only alternative at this stage.

Don't push policies that will punish your current energy production.

I think it is pretty clear right now across the country that we don't have a real coherent energy strategy.

We clearly have to understand that this growing complexity in the Tax Code is a problem we have to address.

It is encouraging that steps are now being taken to remedy some of these problems.

With so much of our energy policy driven by the Tax Code, comprehensive tax reform needs to consider whether these tax incentives promote a sound energy strategy.

The two Subcommittees will hold a joint hearing on the intersection of energy policy and tax policy

I think there was a gross distortion of what's being proposed here. And again, the previous speaker just condemned the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bill in the U.S. Senate. That's the only Democratic bill we've had. So it seems to…

I would like to thank you both for being here today, for your testimony, for the work you are doing to make this program successful.

The two states I referenced earlier, that both of you have referenced as well, California and Oregon, is there some experience there that we can learn from?

This is a critical issue for tax administration, and it is important that Congress understand the new requirements and continues its oversight to judge whether the new program improves tax compliance.

This hearing is a continuation of the Subcommittee's oversight of the IRS and the alarming rates of tax noncompliance.

Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD, (R-LA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the new IRS paid tax return preparer program.

The FairTax means anyone can figure out 23 percent.

Have you heard those concerns in the context of FairTax among small business owners?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am glad we are having this hearing. I am finding it helpful given that I am certainly getting a lot of calls from constituents back home in Louisiana about the FairTax.

I am in full agreement. We need to move and pass this, and I think we'll get it passed. I must say to the gentleman from Washington, at least we have a trade bill on the floor. I hope there are many more to come. We're waiting for the…

I continue to reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McDERMOTT. I would only say that this bill expires on the 26th of July, so we need to act on it quickly. I yield back the balance of my time.