November 22,2005

Baucus Commends Passage of IRS Appropriations for Balanced Service and Enforcement


(WASHINGTON, D.C.) U.S. Senator Max Baucus, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, welcomed the passage of the Treasury Appropriations Bill approving Internal Revenue Service funding to continue to provide taxpayers with a complete array of taxpayer services. The bill allocates $10.7 billion to the IRS, an increase of $434 million over last year’s budget, and limits the agency from discontinuing taxpayer services. Earlier this year, the IRS postponed closing almost seventy Taxpayer Assistance Centers, including three in Montana, after Senator Baucus wrote a letter to IRS Commissioner Everson stating he would do everything he could to stop the closures.

Senator Baucus had the following comment about the legislation:

“I am very pleased with the Conferees’ support of taxpayer service. Congress has sent a crystal clear message to the IRS as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday that taxpayer service is part of the main course instead of the cold leftovers. This bill gives the IRS the money it needs to keep Taxpayer Assistance Centers and other services open to help America’s taxpayers understand and voluntarily meet their tax obligations as well as to enforce the tax laws for those who don’t.”