Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D., (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 2014 tax return filing season. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, May 7, 2014, in Room 1100 of the Longworth house Office Building, beginning at 10:30 A.M.

The Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, the Honorable John Koskinen, will be the only witness at the hearing. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion into the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

In fiscal year 2013, the IRS collected over $2.8 trillion in taxes, processed 145.9 million individual tax returns, and issued $364.3 billion in refunds. With the 2014 tax return filing season concluded, 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) efforts to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, including identity theft, (2) the agency’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), (3) fairness in examinations and tax administration, and (4) whether the agency is pursuing all necessary reforms to address the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s (TIGTA) findings that the IRS targeted certain groups on the basis of name and policy position.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Boustany said, “The IRS has a long way to go in restoring public trust after the unprecedented targeting scandal.  Beyond that, I am concerned about the agency’s ability to effectively deter waste, fraud, and identity theft, as well as its new role in the President’s troubled health care law, and the billions of taxpayer dollars it must administer in the Exchanges.  The agency is obligated to spend its nearly $12 billion budget wisely, and the Subcommittee is committed to ensuring the IRS is putting these taxpayer dollars to efficient and effective use. The Subcommittee looks forward to discussing these and other important issues with Commissioner Koskinen.” 

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on the 2014 filing season and other issues facing the IRS, including efforts to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse, implementation of the ACA, promoting fairness in examinations and tax administration, and changes at the agency to address the findings of targeting by TIGTA and Congressional investigations.

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, May 21, 2014.  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/.