[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
[June 19, 1998]
[Page 994]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Internal Revenue Service Reform Legislation
June 19, 1998

    I am very pleased that our efforts to reform the IRS took a major 
step forward today with a bipartisan agreement reconciling the House and 
Senate legislation. I have worked very hard to give the American people 
an IRS that is fairer and more responsive to their needs. Enactment of 
this compromise reform will build on our initiative to give Americans a 
modern, customer-friendly IRS.
    Our new IRS Commissioner, Charles Rossotti, has brought forceful leadership and the best management 
techniques from the private sector to the agency. This bipartisan 
compromise will give him the tools he needs to succeed, while expanding 
taxpayer rights. It will allow the IRS to bring in talent and expertise 
from the private sector, strengthen the Taxpayer Advocate's office, and 
expand the convenient and popular practice of filing tax returns 
electronically and over the phone. We are pleased that Congress 
incorporated the Commissioner's sweeping reorganization of the IRS along 
customer service lines and addressed our concerns about earlier versions 
of this reform by correcting provisions that would have inadvertently 
allowed noncompliant taxpayers to avoid paying their fair share of 
taxes. The Congress also made sure that the Treasury Secretary and the 
IRS Commissioner will serve on the board overseeing the IRS.
    Under the leadership of the Vice President and Secretary Rubin, we have 
made great strides in our efforts to revamp customer service at the IRS. 
We have expanded phone and office hours, created popular new problem-
solving days, and launched independent citizen advocacy panels. We 
cannot solve every problem at the IRS at once, but we are committed to 
correcting problems when they arise, and this bill will help us do that. 
I urge Congress to send me this compromise legislation quickly, but to 
make sure that it is fully and properly funded.