Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD, (R-LA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the 2011 Tax Return Filing Season.  The hearing will take place on Thursday, March 31, 2011, in Room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 A.M.

The Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, the Honorable Douglas Shulman, will be the only witness at the hearing.  Any individual or organization may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

In fiscal year 2010, the IRS collected $2.3 trillion in taxes, processed 141 million individual tax returns, and issued $366 billion in refunds.  As the 2011 tax return filing season is underway, the Subcommittee will review IRS performance with a focus on taxpayer service, taxpayer rights, and refund administration. 

In conjunction with the review of the current tax return filing season, the Subcommittee will review IRS operations in general.  Specifically, the Subcommittee will consider: (1) the protection of taxpayer rights; (2) fairness in examinations and tax administration; and (3) efforts to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.  As part of its consideration of IRS operations, the Subcommittee will also review the Administration’s fiscal year 2012 budget proposal for the IRS of $13.3 billion, an increase of $1.1 billion over the fiscal year 2010 enacted level. 

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Boustany said, “With so many struggling through a tough economy, it’s important we remember that the IRS affects every household and business across the country.  The Subcommittee will examine how the IRS is performing this tax season, with an eye toward taxpayer rights and the fair collection of federal taxes.  We will also review the Administration’s new IRS budget request, an increase of more than 9% from 2010 levels, and the Commissioner’s justification for this increase.”

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on the 2011 tax return filing season, the IRS’ budget, and IRS operations generally.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit written comments for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website and complete the informational forms.  From the Committee homepage, https://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings.”  Select the hearing for which you would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.”  Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information.  ATTACH your submission as a Word document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by the close of business on Wednesday, April 14, 2011.  Finally, please note that due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings.  For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-3625 or (202) 225-5522.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.  As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee.  The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines.  Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities.  If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested).  Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/.

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