[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5200]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        OUR TAX SYSTEM IS BROKEN

  (Mr. RICE of South Carolina asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RICE of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this week, as hardworking 
Americans across the country submit their tax returns, we are all 
reminded of the heavy burden placed upon all taxpayers by our country's 
broken tax system.
  Like a snowball rolling down a hill, the United States Tax Code has 
grown and bloated itself over time, resulting in an avalanche of 
overregulation coming down on the heads of American taxpayers.
  There have been over 4,400 changes to the Tax Code in the last decade 
alone. That averages to more than one per day. Is it any surprise, 
then, that the United States boasts more tax preparers than we do 
police officers and firefighters combined?
  We're facing a four-alarm tax emergency in this country, and the 
House Republicans have a plan to address it. We stand committed to 
fundamental, comprehensive tax reform that makes our Tax Code fairer 
and simpler for all Americans, a Tax Code that makes our corporations 
more competitive, that will stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs 
overseas and bring jobs back to our shores.
  Tax reform would increase hardworking Americans' take-home pay so 
that they have more money to live on, instead of the government having 
more of their money to spend.
  Mr. Speaker, that's what American taxpayers deserve.

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