[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 30, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8163-H8164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PRESIDENT OPPOSES CITIZEN OVERSIGHT OF IRS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from California [Mr. Rogan] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROGAN. Mr. Speaker, as a new Member of Congress, I had the chance 
to go home during the break and talk to constituents throughout my 
district. One of the things that I was pleased to report back home was 
the fact that Congress, acting in a bipartisan fashion, was able to 
deliver the first balanced budget in almost 30 years, and the first 
broad-based tax cut in almost 16 years. That is good news. It was good 
news to deliver, and judging from the response of my constituents back 
home in California, it was good news to receive.
  But the fight is far from over, because if we are going to be able to 
deliver meaningful tax reform to the people of this country, tax reform 
that does not last just for one Congress but will last through the 
years, we are going to have to look at restructuring, and perhaps 
abolishing, the tax collection agency known as the Internal Revenue 
Service.
  There is an exciting debate that is about to occur in Congress, and I 
hope that it will be on the radar screen of every taxpayer and every 
citizen. We in Congress are going to debate whether we should move to a 
flat tax as proposed by our Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey, or 
move to a consumption tax, essentially a national sales tax, as 
proposed by the Ways and Means chairman, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. 
Bill Archer, and the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Billy Tauzin, and 
others. That that will be an important debate, because it will 
significantly change the process of tax collecting in America. Either 
one of those alternatives will be preferential to the status quo.
  Unfortunately, the IRS over the years has become an agency that has 
gone beyond its limited role of being a collection agency to fund 
constitutional government, and instead has been used time and time 
again as an agency to reward political friends and oppose political 
enemies.
  During the last week here in Congress, we have held hearings on the 
IRS, and have heard horror stories

[[Page H8164]]

about how taxpayers have been treated. These facts came not just from 
citizens who were injured by the IRS, but from IRS agents themselves 
who testified as to the practices of the IRS. The evidence shocked and 
stunned Americans. As a result of those hearings, one of the things we 
Republicans in Congress have proposed is a ``citizens' oversight 
board'' to protect Americans from agency abuses.
  It ought to come as a shock to all taxpayers that we even have to 
consider appointing a board such as that to protect citizens from the 
abuses of an agency that was created to serve them, and not the other 
way around. Unbelievably, this morning I picked up the Washington Times 
and saw on the front page a headline that says, ``White House Champions 
IRS, President Opposes Citizen Oversight.'' The lead column said, ``The 
White House yesterday came to the defense of an embattled IRS vowing to 
`vigorously oppose' congressional efforts to create a citizen oversight 
board to protect Americans from agency abuses.''
  Mr. Speaker, we Republicans have tried to work with the White House 
and with Democrat colleagues to forge a bipartisan solution to a lot of 
the problems that are facing our country. If ever there was a time for 
bipartisanship, Mr. Speaker, it is now when it comes to dealing with 
the IRS.
  I do not know where the President will eventually come down on the 
issues of a national sales tax or a flat tax or if he supports the 
status quo, but surely this President, surely this administration, 
which has shown as a hallmark over the last 5 years the ability to read 
the tea leaves of public opinion, ought to understand that this is not 
a partisan issue. This is an issue about good and decent Government.
  The IRS for too many years has abused its power, has abused 
taxpayers, that have paid for this agency, and the time has come to 
make this agency responsive and accountable to those who pay its way. I 
urge the President to reconsider this unfortunate policy that was 
announced today, and to join with Republicans to create citizen 
oversight of the IRS. The best way to clean up the IRS is to have 
citizen accountability as Republicans have proposed in Congress.

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