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WASHINGTON – As Americans face the annual deadline to file their tax returns, Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., today praised passage of several pieces of legislation designed to protect hardworking taxpayers and rein in IRS abuse.

“Taxpayers shudder at the mere mention of the IRS, and that image hasn’t been helped since the federal government’s most feared agency admitted to singling out conservative groups for unprecedented invasive scrutiny,” said Foxx. “As Americans, we expect our government to preserve, protect and defend our rights - not target them for political gain and control. The legislation we passed today will help ensure that all taxpayers are treated fairly and hold IRS employees accountable for their actions.”   

The bills that passed the House include:

• H.R. 709, the Prevent Targeting at the IRS Act, which would authorize the IRS to terminate employees who engage in political targeting; 
• H.R. 1026, the Taxpayer Knowledge of IRS Investigations Act, which would provide taxpayers with the status of investigations pertaining to their personal information;
• H.R. 1058, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2015, which would codify a strong set of basic rights for taxpayers, including the right to quality service, the right to confidentiality and the right to appeal and have their challenge be heard;
• H.R. 1104, the Fair Treatment for All Gifts Act, which would ensure that all donations to nonprofit organizations are tax-free;
• H.R. 1152, the IRS Email Transparency Act, which would prevent IRS employees from using of personal e-mail for official business;
• H.R. 1295, the IRS Bureaucracy Reduction and Judicial Review Act, which would allow organizations to declare their tax-exempt status rather than wait for bureaucratic approval;
• H.R. 1314, the Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act, would allow nonprofit organizations seeking tax-exempt status to directly petition the IRS and get a fair hearing if their application is turned down;
• H.R. 1562, the Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2015, which would prohibit the award of contracts or grants to corporations or individuals that have seriously delinquent federal tax debt; and 

The House is also expected to pass H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015, which would permanently repeal the death tax so that families who have lost loved ones are not faced with an enormous financial burden in the event of a death, on Thursday. 

 “While it represents only a tiny fraction of federal revenue, the death tax can be devastating for a family,” said Foxx. “I look forward to voting to repeal this unreasonable and unfair burden on thousands of American families, small businesses and family farms.” 

Foxx also called for comprehensive tax reform that ensures fairer distribution of the income tax burden. Foxx is a co-sponsor of H.R. 25, the FairTax Act of 2015.

“Between mountains of paperwork, complicated codes and the fear of fines, paying taxes every year is a huge burden for hardworking Americans,” said Foxx during a speech on the House floor. “It is past time to simplify the tax code and decrease the tax burden that Americans currently spend close to a third of the year bearing.”

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U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District and is the elected Republican Conference Secretary. Dr. Foxx is the chair of the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and serves as Vice Chair of the House Rules Committee.