Horsford Votes To Publicly Release Report on Trump Tax Returns

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) released the following statement after voting in the House Ways and Means Committee to release a committee report on the investigation into the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Mandatory Audit Program, which was created to ensure compliance by a sitting President with federal tax laws:

                “This vote in the Ways and Means Committee was about the rule of law and making sure it is applied evenly and fairly to ALL Americans, without regard to position, power, or income level. The public must have confidence that our tax laws apply evenly and justly to all. Sadly, it appears that over the years, the IRS’ ability to abide by this mandate was weakened and subjected lower income earners to more audits than the more financially sophisticated tax returns of the wealthiest in the nation.

                “Our committee voted to make this information public because the people have a right to see it for themselves. In the course of our committee’s investigation, we found that the mandatory audit program was dormant under the Trump Administration, and it wasn’t until Chairman Neal inquired with the IRS about the program that the agency began to take steps to conduct an audit. And notes on the audit files from IRS staff indicate that the agency lacked the sufficient resources to do a thorough review.

                “Americans are subjected to a two-tier tax system – one for wage workers and another for the wealthy and well-connected. Those at the lower end of the income spectrum are 5 times more likely to be audited than top income earners. 40% of 2017 individual return audits were from taxpayers who had claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable tax credit designed to help low wage earners, particularly families with children in the household.

                “This is not about one President, but about the Office of the President. For decades, Presidents and other candidates for the office willingly made their tax returns public. It’s vital that we as members of the Ways and Means Committee, and in general as members of the House of Representatives, conduct our legislative and oversight authority to ensure, and restore, the public’s faith in our elected leaders.”

The Ways and Means Committee Report is available HERE and the Joint Committee on Taxation’s report is available HERE.

Congressman Horsford also joined Chairman Neal and other members of the Ways and Means Committee in introducing the Presidential Tax Filings and Audit Transparency Act of 2022, which will be voted on by the full House later this week. The legislation puts the Mandatory Audit Program above reproach, making it a statutory requirement.

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