Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Markup of Bipartisan Tax Administration Legislation

Wyden Statement at Finance Committee Markup of Bipartisan Tax Administration Legislation

As Prepared for Delivery

A video of these remarks are here.

The Committee meets this morning to consider legislation that reflects years of bipartisan work. It contains dozens of provisions championed by members of this committee, and I look forward to moving them across the finish line.

The Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act contains common-sense changes that will streamline the tax system and bring our tax code into the 21st century.

These updates will help ensure that refunds get out the door on time. They will improve customer service at the IRS. And they will make it easier for taxpayers to get the help they need during filing season and beyond.

One of the most absurd things about our tax system is that its complexity forces millions of Americans to turn to paid tax return preparers every year.

Unlike the ultra-wealthy, most people can't afford to hire armies of accountants and lawyers to navigate the tax system for them.

There isn't a single law on the books to ensure these paid preparers actually know what they're doing or follow the law.

That results in many of these prep services not being worth the paper they're written on. Oftentimes, returns get filed late or incorrectly. And the worst part is, taxpayers might not even realize they've been ripped off until it's too late. Then the next thing you know, you're being hit by a costly and time-consuming audit.

This bill will take important steps to crack down on these shady tax prep schemes that prey on families to make a quick buck.

Millions of Americans are struggling right now to afford the skyrocketing cost of rent, gas, and groceries. The last thing they need is to be hit by costly fees and penalties by the IRS.

This bill will take action to reduce the financial burden on low-income families. Make it easier for them to get filing assistance, and ensure that ultra low-income taxpayers get streamlined access to their full earned income tax credit.

This bill is a good first step to delivering relief to low-income taxpayers. But we also have a long road ahead to restore fairness to a system that Trump and his henchmen have spent years rigging in their favor, and making harder for everyone else.

Before I shift gears, I'd also like to thank the staff on the Joint Committee on Taxation and Senate Legislation Counsel for all their help in the process of drafting this bill.

The theme of today's meeting is streamlining the tax filing system for hard-working Americans, and protecting them from predatory schemes and audits.

As of right now, everybody in America is subject to audit -- except the Trump family. All thanks to the tax audit immunity deal that Trump coerced out of his own administration. This immunity deal is a brazen abuse of our nation's laws in a system that forces everyone else to play by the rules. It's a crooked double standard benefitting Trump and his family.

It is clear that Trump, his family and his business associates will stop at nothing to continue using the federal government and taxpayer dollars to enrich themselves and operate under a separate set of rules from everyday Americans who are struggling to get by.

Never has it been more clear that our country has two tax codes.

One that lets the ultra-wealthy game the system with armies of accountants and lawyers, and one that forces everyone else to play by the rules and pay their share.

I take it as an admission of his own guilt when it comes to tax cheating. Trump and his family have been stuffing every dollar they can grab into their own pockets. But they won't face accountability as long as Trump himself continues to bleed the IRS dry of the staffing and resources it needs to go after tax cheats.

Later this morning, the committee will have the opportunity to vote on an amendment that would rein in Trump's corruption, and permanently ban the IRS and Treasury Department from entering into agreements like this in the future.

Every member in this room will have a chance to go on the record as either enabling this blatant Trump corruption, or reining it in.

I look forward to today's discussion.

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