A recent Gallup poll detailing congressional approval ratings suggests that one reason ratings remain low is our divided government, with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats controlling the Senate. Yet, what is not reflected in that data is another historical fact unnoticed by most – it was a divided government that, in 1986, last passed and enacted tax reform. Today, we’re… Read more

Washington, DC -  In a letter sent to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-LA) asked that GAO assess how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examines tax-exempt organizations.  Following revelations that the IRS was subjecting conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status to… Read more

Washington, DC - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Charles Boustany Jr., M.D. (R-LA) called on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner Daniel Werfel to immediately cease the IRS’s apparent continued practice of targeting Tea Party applications based on name alone. As part of its investigation into… Read more

UPDATED: NOTE TIME CHANGE TO 3:45PM FOR SQUARE, INC. VISIT  Washington - Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) announced that on Monday, August 19 and Tuesday, August 20 they will visit two separate technology companies in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley area.  The West Coast… Read more

Just three months ago, Lois G. Lerner, a senior official in the IRS’s tax-exempt organizations division, publicly admitted that the agency targeted taxpayers because of their political beliefs. Until that point, despite years of inquiries from Congress, the IRS had continued to deny that it was targeting taxpayers, even though officials had long known about the conduct. With the truth… Read more

A new tax study released today by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and the S Corporation Association reinforces the need for tax reform that makes the tax code simpler and fairer.  The study, authored by Quantria Strategies, provides a detailed look at the effect that the tax system has on businesses – in particular those organized as pass-throughs that pay… Read more

The headlines citing last week’s jobs report as the lowest unemployment rate in years may have been technically accurate, but they are also reminders that looks can be deceiving.  The reality, as you dig into the latest jobs data, reveals that few are finding the full-time work they want and need, and many are forced to accept part-time employment. As the chart below depicts, seven… Read more

During a speech this week in Chattanooga, TN, President Obama unveiled a series of tax reform initiatives designed to spark jobs.  Just one problem: his proposal to lower the corporate rate to 28 percent won't actually ease the burden of high tax rates for the vast majority of the nation's job creators – small businesses.  Given that inequality, it is not surprising that… Read more

Washington, DC – Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) made the following statement upon President Obama’s announcement to nominate John Koskinen as Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service: "The IRS is a deeply troubled agency.  While I have not met Mr. Koskinen, I certainly hope he is ready and able to shake-up the agency and hold people accountable… Read more

Embattled Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner and an attorney in the Federal Election Commission’s general counsel’s office appear to have twice colluded to influence the record before the FEC’s vote in the case of a conservative non-profit organization, according to e-mails unearthed by the House Ways and Means Committee and obtained exclusively… Read more