Bill Archer: “Mr. Speaker, while some might find it surprising, I still do my own taxes. Often people ask me why, and the answer is…”

“Mr. Speaker, while some might find it surprising, I still do my own taxes. Often people ask me why, and the answer is easy. I think that as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means I should understand fully all of the difficulties, all of the headaches, all of the confusion, that Americans face in dealing with our complicated tax system. Over the past 5 years, we have cut taxes and we have tried to simplify the code. Clearly, one of the greatest simplifications is the elimination of taxes on home sales. Now one does not have to bring a shoe box full of receipts to their tax preparer when they sell their home. Yet the Tax Code is still too complicated and confusing, and we eventually need to get the IRS out of the lives of individual Americans. In the meantime, we should be sure that the current system treats taxpayers fairly while protecting their rights and privacy. That is why we are here today, to begin work on a new taxpayer bill of rights. This Taxpayer Bill of Rights 2000 builds on the IRS Reform Act which we passed in 1998, which by the way was the first reform of the IRS since 1952. Our new plan will help taxpayers even further to protect taxpayer privacy, level the playing field between taxpayers and the IRS, and take at least some small steps to help simplify the process of paying taxes. While taxpayer rights are important, we also believe taxes should be lower.”