The Senate confirmed new IRS commissioner Chuck Rettig, and National Taxpayers Union President Pete Sepp welcomed the permanent appointment to an agency that had for too long been working under a temporary commissioner. Incoming Commissioner Rettig has a big job, and NTU has long advocated for a list of reforms that the agency’s leader should tackle to protect taxpayers and guarantee the integrity of the IRS.
In a statement today, Sepp said,
"Chuck Rettig's confirmation comes none too soon for a tax agency at a crossroads. While Acting Commissioner Kautter provided excellent leadership during his tenure, a full-time head of the IRS is necessary to meet the challenges not only of the next tax filing season but also the next evolution of taxpayer service. As a member of the tax practitioner community rather than the bureaucracy or the technical side of management, Commissioner Rettig will hopefully bring a particular empathy for the the plight of tax filers to all phases of the compliance process."
Confirming the new IRS Commissioner is a good start, but the Senate has another vital tax administration task this year: finalizing a legislative package of IRS reforms and working with the House (which unanimously passed its own bill in April) to get a mutually agreeable version to the President's desk. Two Senate bills (S 3426 and S 3278) each contain desirable elements which could be combined into a single clean bill (while leaving behind unhelpful provisions such as unnecessary preparer regulations). NTU's priorities for a Senate bill are:
- Clarifying a taxpayer's right to appeal an audit;
- Limiting the power of the tax agency to block such appeals through tactics like designated summonses or designating cases for litigation;
- Creating a new, more effective independent body to replace the IRS Oversight Board (which has existed in name only for more than three years);
- Protecting "innocent spouses" of taxpayers who owe the IRS;
- Safeguarding against harsh IRS actions that could threaten a business's viability;
- Strengthening programs for identity theft resolution and assistance to low-income taxpayers;
"Commissioner Rettig should be able to assume his post with clear guidance from Congress on how the tax agency should embrace a new future," Sepp said. "Working together, public officials can deliver a fairer, simpler, and less burdensome system that puts taxpayers first."