[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8808-H8809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    BUREAUCRATIC MALAISE AT THE IRS

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

[[Page H8809]]

  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, last year, what did 8 out of 10 taxpayers 
hear when they called the IRS heartline seeking help to tax questions? 
Nothing, zip, nada. That is right, 8 out of 10 taxpayers could not even 
get a hello.
  What could possibly explain this pathetic bureaucratic malaise? Is 
the IRS understaffed? No, one hundred and six thousand employees should 
be adequate, even if all they did was just pick up the phone and say 
hello.

                              {time}  1815

  Is the problem underfunding? No; $7.3 billion in an annual budget; 
clearly, that is not the problem. The problem lies with the IRS's lack 
of accountability.
  For years the IRS has bullied, harassed, terrorized the citizens of 
this country while answering to no one, not even answering the phone. 
Now, with allegations of taxpayer abuse coming to light, layer of 
Washington bureaucrats after layer shifted the blame for the sorry 
state of affairs at the IRS until the President has finally been forced 
to address the issue. How did he respond? He said, quote: ``I believe 
the IRS is functioning better today than it was 5 years ago.''
  Come on, Mr. Speaker. It is time for the President to get real, get 
serious, and join the Republican Congress and fix the IRS.

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