Bob Kerrey: “I agree with Senator Roth. This is a very important matter and issue, and I pledge my full cooperation to work with the…”

“I agree with Senator Roth. This is a very important matter and issue, and I pledge my full cooperation to work with the distinguished Senator from Alabama as well. I call to your attention, with the National Taxpayer Advocate, I think, we are going to get pretty close to this issue. In addition, by organizing--and the law requires it--the IRS along functional lines, we will now have small business organized as a single category. One of the things Mr. Rossotti has already indicated is that he is likely to take some of the secondary recommendations that our Commission made. We have large numbers of relatively small businesses out there who expend a lot of money and don't pay any taxes at all. They have to comply with the code. He believes there may be some opportunity for us to significantly relieve a number of individuals-- millions, in his words--that might otherwise have to fill out a form. So I think what the Senator has brought to our attention is a very important problem; it is taxation without representation. It is frustrating. I think we are going to get more accountability with this law, and we are going to have vehicles through the taxpayer advocate to do the very thing the Senator is talking about. I appreciate it, and I pledge my full cooperation to work with him on this.”