Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD (R-Southwest Louisiana) today held a Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight hearing to discuss the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the 2011 Tax Return Filing Season. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman was on hand to testify.

“Charged with administering this growing tax code, the IRS must simultaneously respect the rights of taxpayers, provide assistance to the millions of taxpayers who have questions about their taxes, and go after those who seek to cheat the tax system,” Boustany said in his opening statement. “The IRS’s dual mission of both revenue collector and social policy program administrator diverts IRS resources from its core mission and can diminish taxpayer service. Among the biggest contributors to this problem is the new health care law, which gives IRS a host of new responsibilities, including the indoor tanning tax, new taxes and fees on employers and individuals, and a complex small business tax credit.”

Boustany indicated the committee’s desire to work on ways to reform the tax code. When asked if he felt the tax code was too complex, Commissioner Shuman responded, “Yes, it has become incredibly complex.”

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Boustany plans to hold several hearings to look into government waste and spending in federal agencies.

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