[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 43 (Monday, April 14, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3067-S3068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TAXES AND ABUSES AT THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, also, I want to remind Senators again that 
the American people are watching and waiting to see what we have to 
say, in fact, about what we are going to do about taxes in this 
country. Tomorrow is the day that we all have to pay the taxes we owe. 
And the feeling I had gotten when I was home is that people are very 
upset with the tax burden, both the size of it, how much is taken from 
them in taxes, the variety of ways that it is taken from them, the 
unfairness in what we take away from families with children that could 
do more for and want to do more for their children. Also it discourages 
savings and investments in the economy. And we even tax death. It is 
time for us to do something about it. And this is the week to do it.
  We will have a number of comments and some votes tomorrow, in fact, 
on abuses at the Internal Revenue Service. When you have a computer 
system that has had millions of bucks spent on it that does not work, 
you have to ask, you know, how long can this go on, because we have 
provided millions of dollars. And also when you see that people are 
being fired for snooping through taxpayers' files, that is absolutely 
an unacceptable practice.
  So we need to stop the abuses. Then we need to give some tax relief. 
And then we need to reform the entire system. At a very minimum, this 
year we should give working people of this country some tax relief. And 
it is my hope we will be able to do that.
  We are going to be working with the administration, with the White 
House specifically, this week to see if we can come to an agreement on 
the tax cuts that we will have in our budget for this year. I hope we 
can reach an agreement. If we cannot, we will just have to proceed to a 
process that would allow us to get to a vote on this important issue 
this year.
  Mr. President, I see no Senator seeking recognition at this time. I 
do believe that a couple Senators are on the way. I suggest the absence 
of a quorum.

[[Page S3068]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Enzi). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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