House Uses Tax Day to Pass Restraints on IRS

As promised last month, the Republican-controlled House on Wednesday by voice vote passed seven bills aimed at reining in alleged politicization at the Internal Revenue Service.

"We've said from day one that we're going to clean up the IRS, and these bills are a key part of that effort,” said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. “These are commonsense, bipartisan reforms that will provide real accountability and help make sure people are never unfairly targeted again. The IRS should work for the taxpayer, not the other way around.”

The bills were:

• H.R. 1058, to create a taxpayer bill of rights to guarantee quality service, accuracy, privacy and the right to be heard;
• H.R. 1152, to prohibit IRS employees from conducting business using personal email;
• H.R. 1026, to create more transparency of pending IRS investigations;
• H.R. 1295, to improve the process for determining which nonprofit organizations merit tax-exempt status;
• H.R. 1314, to provide organizations a right to appeal denial of tax-exempt status;
• H.R. 709, to make political targeting a fireable offense at the IRS; and
• H.R. 1104 to “ensure” fair and equal treatment of taxpayers who donate to exempt organizations when threatened with audit of a gift tax.

Ryan also called for broader tax reform. With Republicans in control of the Senate, the seven bills stand an improved chance of getting to President Obama’s desk.

The House on Wednesday also passed language aimed at firing tax delinquent federal contractors. A similar measure that would have applied to federal employees failed.