To: Members of the House Committee on Ways and Means
From: National Taxpayers Union
Date: March 25, 2026
Subject: NTU’s Views on March 25th Committee Markup
I. Introduction and Key Taxpayer Considerations
While National Taxpayers Union, like other taxpayer groups, has actively engaged in policy discussions on the features of our federal tax system (rates, credits, deductions, etc.), we also have taken on the special responsibility—as the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization—to focus closely on how the tax system affects the lives of Americans. Our tax system has, at times, not adequately served taxpayers. Some have become fearful or mistrustful of their government, while practitioners who work for them have become frustrated with complex rules that add to compliance burdens. These issues can make it harder for revenue officials to collect taxes, and make it harder for the government to pay its bills.
Throughout its history, NTU has led efforts to improve operations at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), from relaying taxpayer horror stories to Congress in the 1970s and 1980s to persuading Congress to pass the first “Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights” in 1988. As part of this longstanding effort to improve taxpayer service at the IRS, we write to express our support for two bills under consideration at today’s markup: H.R. 7959 – IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act, and H.R. 7971 – Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act. These two pieces of legislation will help improve the integrity and quality of operations at the IRS, greatly benefiting taxpayers.
II. Legislation NTU Supports at March 25 Markup
H.R. 7959 – IRS Whistleblower Program Improvement Act
Sponsored by Congressmen Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), this bill would make several reasoned reforms to the successful Internal Revenue Service Whistleblower Awards Program. The bill would allow for new evidence to be added to the record in appeals heard by the U.S. Tax Court, increase privacy protections for whistleblowers before the court, provide interest to whistleblower awardees if they are not paid within a year of IRS collection, improve tax treatment of program attorney fees, and make needed changes to program annual reporting to Congress. This bill will help save taxpayer dollars by making it easier for whistleblowers to come forward.
H.R. 7971 – Taxpayer Experience Improvement Act
This bipartisan legislation, led by Congressmen David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Donald Beyer (D-VA), would implement a variety of technological enhancements at the IRS that would increase transparency and accessibility for taxpayers. These improvements would require the IRS to:
add a real-time service dashboard to its website that would display call volumes, the number of callers waiting for a representative, longest wait times, and the availability of callback services;
provide personalized, electronic updates to taxpayers regarding the status of their returns, refund details, and specific reasons for any processing delays;
offer a callback option for any taxpayer facing a wait time exceeding five minutes; and
create an online account system that will allow taxpayers to view IRS documents, electronically respond to correspondence, and securely authorize third-party representatives.
The bill also includes strict measures to investigate and report on any unauthorized access or misuse of taxpayer data by authorized personnel, and requires the IRS to conduct focus groups with both taxpayers and tax professionals to ensure these new tools meet user needs effectively. This bill would help restore taxpayer confidence in the IRS, while encouraging the Service to appropriately improve operations to ensure taxpayer needs are met.
III. Contact Information
Should you have any questions about the recommendations in this memo, please do not hesitate to reach out to David Timmons (dtimmons@ntu.org).