Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. STEUBE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6495, the Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act.
At its core, this commonsense legislation is a simple due process idea: Before the IRS goes to your bank, your employer, your vendor, or another third party for information about you, when you can reasonably provide that information yourself, you should be told what they are looking for and given a fair chance to respond.
Under current law, taxpayers can receive a general third-party contact notice, but too often those notices aren't specific enough to let a person meaningfully respond. When the IRS reaches out to third parties, it can create real-world consequences: reputational harm, confusion, or stress for families and small businesses, especially when the taxpayer could have simply produced the records directly.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is about building a healthier relationship between taxpayers and their government. Our citizens deserve a Federal Government that respects privacy and due process while still ensuring the IRS can do its job.
This bill does not stop the IRS from obtaining information it truly needs. It simply ensures taxpayers receive meaningful notice and a fair opportunity to provide the information themselves when appropriate.
For law-abiding Americans, compliance is already complicated enough. The least we can do is ensure that when the IRS intends to go outside the taxpayer to gather information the taxpayer can provide, the taxpayer gets clarity--what exactly is being sought--and a fair chance to respond.
This is a bipartisan effort, and I am honored to work with Congressman Panetta on this legislation because protecting taxpayers and improving procedural fairness should not be partisan. I also thank Senator Barrasso of Wyoming for being the leader on this issue in the Senate, and I hope this bill can receive quick consideration in the Senate and sent to the President's desk.
I thank Chairman Smith for his leadership in creating a more efficient, more transparent tax administration that works better for all taxpayers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Taxpayer Notification and Privacy Act.
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