Duncan Faircloth: “as a cosponsor of S. 522, The Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act, I urge my colleagues to support this important measure…”

“as a cosponsor of S. 522, The Taxpayer Browsing Protection Act, I urge my colleagues to support this important measure to stop IRS employees from electronically browsing through taxpayer files. Mr. President, today is not a day when most Americans feel much sympathy for the IRS. For many Americans finishing up their tax returns, the last several days have been painful ones, with families struggling to understand and fill out complex forms, writing checks to the IRS and wondering where all the money they send to Washington actually goes. And it doesn't help to see recent news accounts of the $4 billion of the taxpayers money has been wasted by the IRS in an effort to modernize its computer system--without success. That's nearly enough money to pay for our troops in Bosnia, and for continued disaster relief to areas of the country damaged by floods and storms, including areas of North Carolina still suffering from the effects of Hurricane Fran. And so, Mr. President, today is not a good day for the American people to be told of yet another outrage at the IRS. As many as 211 million Americans who file tax returns this year will pay over $1.6 trillion in taxes. That is outrage enough. Quite frankly, the American people are overtaxed, and I hope that we can provide them some tax relief this year. As complicated and burdensome as our Tax Code has become, the vast majority of taxpayers fill out their tax forms honestly and completely.”