House unanimously approves IRS reform bill - Ary Roepcke Mulchaey, P.C.

House lawmakers on Tuesday, April 9 approved by unanimous consent the IRS reform bill, the “Taxpayer First Act of 2019” (H.R. 1957). The legislation represents the first transformative revisions to the IRS since 1998. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa and ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Senate leadership, however, has not determined when it will take up the bill.

The House had approved similar legislation in December 2018, but the Senate never voted on it.

The Taxpayer First Act would restrict the IRS’s use of private debt collectors, establish an independent office of appeals, strengthen the agency’s cybersecurity and better protect taxpayers identities. The measure would also make improvements to the IRS whistleblower program.