House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady outlined a blueprint for economic growth — and declared it should start with “busting up” the IRS.
In a wide-ranging interview with Newsmax TV on Wednesday, Rep. Brady said of the IRS and its Commissioner John Koskinen: “We need a change in leadership. There’s no question about it. Our frustration is we’ve chased three IRS commissioners, or acting IRS commissioners, out of that position. And the IRS continues to behave as it behaves.”
But rather than simply impeaching and removing Koskinen, Brady told us, “I’m convinced that we have to go even bolder than that. [I’ve] proposed busting up the IRS.
"If we are going to have a fairer, simpler tax code, then let’s have a fairer, simpler tax collector,” he said, “So we are proposing to break it up into business unit — experts who understand international and U.S. business who can answer questions for our companies — and family unit, that’s focused on customer service.
“It’s been a long time since a constituent has told me I got a timely, accurate answer to my tax question from the IRS.”
Brady added that his legislation also includes a proposal “for a small claims court, independent of Treasury that can help our small businesses and families resolve these tax disputes without hiring accountants and attorneys. I’m tired of our local small businesses and constituents tell me this, spending years and thousands and tens of thousands of dollars resolving a small tax dispute.
"Even when they win, they’ve lost. So we’re proposing, in effect, a small claims court, independent of Treasury that can help our small businesses and families resolve these tax disputes without hiring accountants and attorneys.”
Brady recalled how “there used to be a point when you couldn’t tell what party the IRS commissioner belonged to. Their job was tax compliance. They were in your office twice a year talking about how they improved customer service.
"As a result, Congress and the Ways and Means Committee has had to pass legislation into law that bans them from targeting Americans based on their political beliefs. The House has had to pass legislation taking confidential contribution dollars — taking information about Americans who they contribute to.
“This week, we’re going to move on legislation that stops them from targeting Americans, small businesses, farmers, who are taking their receipts to the bank each day. They confiscate those dollars. You’re guilty until proven innocent. So we’ve proposed busting up the IRS as it is today. We’re going after the current IRS to stop those abuses.”
As to the recent criticism by White House press secretary Josh Earnest of GOP Rep. Mike Kelly’s request to audit the IRS on the grounds it was politicizing the tax-collecting agency, Brady shook his head and told us: “Hypocrisy knows no bounds. It’s regrettable the White House has turned the IRS into a political agency which, unfortunately, has the power to destroy businesses and lives.
"So for them to take a simple request, which is what has happened to all the millions and millions of dollars to the Planned Parenthood organization. We want to know how it is being spent.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.