Rep. Estes Joins Ways and Means Republicans to Prevent Weaponization of the IRS

Press Release

Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) and all House Ways and Means Committee Republicans have introduced H.R.5586 -- the Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act -- to counter proposed legislation that weaponizes the IRS against American citizens. The current Democrat proposal gives the IRS new power to spy on Americans' private bank information with as little as $600.

"This Democrat legislation that the Biden administration supports will allow the IRS to spy on bank accounts with as little as $600," said Rep. Estes. "This is an invasive overreach of the federal government to track every penny you earn and spend. This bill from Ways and Means Republicans will give taxpayers the protections they need."

Rep. Estes and his colleagues also penned a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen expressing privacy concerns over President Biden's proposal to surveil Americans' private bank transactions.

"We are skeptical of the need for this dangerous expansion of IRS oversight into the daily lives of Americans, have reason to believe the true targets are farmers, families, and small businesses, and question the IRS's capacity to protect this unprecedented amount of personal banking information," the members wrote.

Members also pressed Secretary Yellen to address several unanswered questions clarifying that the IRS will not seek transactional-level data on personal and business bank accounts. Click here to read the full letter.

Rep. Estes and other Ways and Means members also introduced the Tax Gap Reform and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Enforcement Act which allows for a better understanding of the tax gap, provides smarter enforcement, ensures the IRS uses all of the resources at its disposal, and addresses the expertise gap at the IRS.

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