Good morning and thank you for joining us today as we continue our dialogue with individuals, families and job creators of all sizes about the critical steps Congress can take through tax reform to get our economy back on solid footing. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is important for Congress to fix our broken tax code. As anyone in this room who just completed their taxes in the last few weeks will tell you, today’s tax code is far too complex and takes far too much time and m... Read more

Welcome to the Subcommittee on Oversight’s annual hearing on the Internal Revenue Service’s operations and budget. Just last week, million of taxpayers across America scrambled to meet their tax filing obligations by April 15. That was no easy feat. Every year, taxpayers face a tax code of growing complexity. Indeed, there have been nearly 5,000 changes to the tax code in the past ten years. As a result of the growing length and complexity of the tax code, individual taxpayers and businesses spe... Read more

U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, today announced a hearing on the challenges facing the next Commissioner of Social Security. The hearing will take place on Friday, April 26, 2013, in B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 9:30 a.m. In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. However, any individual or organization not... Read more

Tax forms are too complex for members of Congress to fill out on their own, several lawmakers told The Hill. In fact, when broached with the question, “Do you fill out your own tax forms?” most members burst out laughing before admitting it was just too complicated. “I’m a former business lawyer,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said, adding that he’s served on tax-writing committees during his time in Congress. “I know a lot about tax policy as a result, but I would not dare to do my own taxes.” Rep... Read more

The momentum for fixing our tax code for families and all employers got another boost as the RATE Coalition, a group of job-creating companies committed to working with Congress to fix today’s broken tax code, stated, “this year is the best opportunity for comprehensive tax reform since 1986.” In an update to a February letter signed by an additional 143 economists (bringing the total to 163 economists), the RATE Coalition leaders said “everything is on the table” in order to achieve comprehensi... Read more

Mr. Secretary, the last time you testified before this committee it was “Mr. Director.” So, please allow me to do publicly what I’ve already done privately, and that is to congratulate you on your new post. As you are well aware, this Committee has broad jurisdiction and interacts with many departments and agencies – none more important than the Treasury Department. As such, it is my sincere hope that we will be seeing a lot of each other, and, equally important, that our staffs will be working... Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-LA) wrote to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner Steve Miller regarding reports that the IRS is searching through taxpayer emails, text messages and social media to compile information without a warrant. Boustany requested the IRS provide its privacy policies and procedures for when a search warrant is needed, including what information they are gathering and how frequently they search throug... Read more

TOTAL TAX INCREASES AND OTHER REVENUE INCREASES REVENUE RAISED 2014 - 2023 1,083,000,000,000 Click here for more information. ### Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) made the following statement in response to the President’s FY2014 Budget. “Our country faces great challenges, and meeting those challenges requires that we work together. I welcome the President’s inclusion of reforms to Medicare and Social Security. With more than 10,000 Baby Boomers becoming eligible for benefits each day, it is critical that the White House and Congress work together to protect and preserve these programs for... Read more

Good afternoon Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Velazquez and Members of the House Small Business Committee. I’d like to take a moment to thank those small business owners who will appear on the next panel. I won’t be able to stay for your testimony, but I thank you for taking time away from your businesses to be here today. You have first-hand knowledge of just how broken our tax code is; how much time, energy and money it takes to comply with; and what that means for you and your employees – f... Read more