IRS Reform Viewed as Likely to Pass

Legislation to reform the Internal Revenue Service should easily pass the House today, a key lawmaker said. “IRS reform is cut and dried. We’re going to pass it big-time,” said Bill Archer (R-Texas), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill would create an IRS oversight board, including members from the private sector, and would shift the burden of proving taxpayer wrongdoing to the IRS in civil cases that reach tax court. It lists 28 new “taxpayer rights,” making it easier to win a lawsuit against the IRS and protecting innocent spouses from having to pay for mistakes on joint returns that were not their fault if a couple divorce.