Paul L. Caron
Dean





Saturday, July 16, 2016

The IRS Scandal, Day 1164

IRS Logo 2American College of Tax Counsel, Letter to Paul Ryan, Kevin Brady, Nancy Pelosi & Sander Levin (July 13, 2016):

On behalf of the Officers and the Board of Regents of the American College of Tax Counsel, I write to express our significant concerns with the resolutions being considered with respect to the possible impeachment and censure of Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen. It is our view that such actions are not commensurate with the alleged conduct and will damage the agency at a time when it needs strong leadership. We do not see any benefit to the agency or our system of laws that could arise from moving forward with these actions.

The Officers and Regents of the College are senior, experienced tax lawyers with decades of experience in dealing with the Internal Revenue Service. Many of our colleagues have devoted years of their professional careers to working at the agency, in service of our country. We have watched the agency struggle with significant decreases in funding that have caused staffing and morale issues. In our practices we have seen the negative impact this has had on our clients, the taxpayers. We often disagree with actions taken by the Internal Revenue Service, and at times we think that things should be done differently. Overall, however, we think that the agency serves the American people in a manner consistent with its vital mission, especially in view of the complexity of the tax law, the additional responsibilities that it has been given over the past few years, and the severe financial constraints under which it operates.

We see the benefits of the steady hand that Commissioner Koskinen, an experienced, dedicated and respected public servant, provides. Ifhe were to be replaced now, the agency would have its fifth Commissioner in four years. This is an enonnous organization - it employs over 78,000 people and processes nearly 150 million individual income tax returns filed each year. To be an effective leader, the Commissioner needs to take time to build up the knowledge base, as Commissioner Koskinen has done, and it takes time to build up trust in the employees. We think that the agency and the country will be well served if he is willing and allowed to continue on the path that he has set.

We would respectfully request that Congress reject impeachment and censure, and instead apply its time and attentions to improving both the tax law and the administration of our tax system.

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2016/07/the-irs-scandal-day-1164.html

IRS News, IRS Scandal, Tax | Permalink

Comments

They didn't offer up much of a defense besides tribalism and that is how Obama's IRS got, and kept itself, in this mess.

You would think a professional group would have higher standards for the conduct of their tribe.

Posted by: Wodun | Jul 16, 2016 1:28:44 PM