Political Quotes

“like many of my colleagues who have spoken on the floor this week, I rise in strong support of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. The Senate Finance Committee hearings about IRS agents and supervisors that are completely out-of-control, and who sometimes try to set up honest taxpayers in order to advance their own careers, has made it absolutely clear to every American that the structure and standard operating procedures of the IRS must be corrected--which is exactly what this comprehensive reform legislation will accomplish. This bill creates an oversight board consisting of a majority of private sector members to set IRS policy and strategy, and a new independent Inspector General for Tax Administration in the Treasury Department who will be appointed by the President and confirmed by this Senate. The Taxpayer Advocate position, created in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights II in 1996, is expanded into a system of local Taxpayer Advocates that guarantees at least one advocate for each state in the union. This legislation reverses the burden of proof from the taxpayer to the IRS, and allows for the awarding of attorney's fees and civil damages to taxpayers when they have been wronged by the IRS. Relief is also provided to "innocent spouses" who find themselves liable for taxes incurred by their spouse during a marriage.”