April 11,2003

Joint Floor Statement of Senators Max Baucus and Charles E. Grassley upon Introduction of the Tax Administration Good Government Act

Mr. President, today we are introducing the Tax Administration Good Government Act.

The legislation contains five major components. First, it provides additional safeguards fortaxpayers. Second, the legislation significantly simplifies the current interest and penalty regimes.

Third, the Act also includes the proposals passed out of the Finance Committee on April 2, 2003and included in a bill introduced by Senators Hatch and Breaux to modernize the United States TaxCourt.

Fourth, our legislation also includes several provisions, some of which were requested bythe Treasury Department and the Joint Committee on Taxation, to strike an appropriate balance inprotecting taxpayer confidentiality through disclosure reforms. Finally, the legislation takes asmall, but important step toward simplification of the tax code through the elimination of obsoleteprovisions.

We have worked closely with the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, theNational Taxpayer Advocate and the Joint Committee on Taxation to develop this package ofproposals to promote good government in the administration of our tax code.

Congress’s responsibility for the tax system does not stop after we pass tax law changes.

We have an oversight responsibility to ensure that taxpayer rights are protected, that our tax lawsare not administered counter to Congressional intent, that the judicial body with primary jurisdictionover the tax laws has the tools necessary to provide independent review of controversies betweentaxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service, and to take steps to simplify the tax code wheneverpossible.

It is our intention to pass a package of tax administration good government proposals out ofthe Finance Committee in the coming months. We urge our colleagues to support this importantlegislation.

We also submit for the record a more detailed description of the specific provisions includedin the Tax Administration Good Government Act.Description of bill attached