House Holds Hearing Today On The Tax Gap

The House Ways & Means Committee held a hearing this morning on Understanding the Tax Gap and Taxpayer Noncompliance:

The Honorable J. Russell George
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Testimony

Benjamin Herndon
Chief Research and Analytics Officer, IRS
• Testimony

James R. McTigue
Director, Tax Issues, Strategic Issues, GAO
• Testimony

Kenneth Wood
Former IRS Deputy Associate Chief Counsel, Office of Chief Counsel (International), IRS
• Testimony

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Learning About the Tax Gap Before Tomorrow’s House Hearing:

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on the “tax gap” —between what taxpayers owe the federal government and what they pay on time. It’s particularly timely given the IRS’ depleted enforcement division and the challenges that the 2017 tax law poses for compliance. With some members of both parties proposingways to begin to restore tax compliance funding, this hearing offers an opportunity to identify compliance needs and priorities.

There are many resources to help learn more about the tax gap, and there are important questions that lawmakers should probe at the hearing.