VIDEO: Roskam IRS Bills Head to House Floor for Vote

Aimed at Stopping IRS Abuses, Roskam Bills Part of #StopGovernmentWaste Week

WASHINGTON – Today Congressman Peter Roskam (R-IL) announced that next week the House of Representatives will take up two bills he authored aimed at stopping IRS abuses as part of Stop Government Abuse Week: H.R. 2768 the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act and H.R. 2769  the Stop Playing on Citizen’s Cash (SPOCC) Act.  

To watch an introductory video of Congressman Roskam on his bills, click here.

Visit Cosponsor.gov to become a Citizen Cosponsor of Congressman Roskam’s bills.

“Investigations into IRS abuses show that it is a bureaucracy out of control,” said Roskam. “The IRS has the power to reach into the lives of virtually every American, and recent scandals show the IRS can commit shocking acts of abuse. From targeting individuals based on their political and religious views and asking invasive questions, to wasting millions of tax dollars to create spoof Star Trek videos and organize lavish employee conferences –these are mind-blowing abuses of power. Congress must step in to stop this behavior and protect every American and their hard-earned tax dollars.”

The two bills are as follows:

·         The Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act would require the IRS to respect common-sense taxpayer rights such as the right to be informed and assisted, the right of appeal and the right to confidentiality, among others. This law ensures the IRS Commissioner and IRS employees are familiar with, and abide by, these taxpayer rights.

·         The Stop Playing on Citizen’s Cash (SPOCC) Act goes after the IRS wasting taxpayer dollars. This comes in light of the IRS’ spending tax dollars on their now-infamous Star Trek video, featuring Mr. Spock, a Gilligan’s Island skit and lavish spending on gifts and entertainment for multi-million dollar agency conferences. The IRS would be required to take immediate corrective action before organizing any future spending in this category.

“This track record shows the IRS has been acting with virtually no regard for the taxpayers they serve and an unacceptable lack of oversight from their senior leadership.” said Roskam. “The magnitude of waste and abuse that has already occurred is staggering, and these two bills and the legislation being forwarded during Stop Government Abuse Week will help our continued effort to get the IRS and the bureaucracy under control.”

Congressman Roskam’s bills are included in a collection of bills that the House of Representatives will vote on next week as part of Stop Government Waste Week, a GOP Conference initiative to fight government waste and abuse.