Congress Nears OK on IRS Reform Bill

In an election-year swipe at one of the government’s least popular agencies, Congress moved toward sending President Clinton a bill restructuring the IRS and granting new rights to taxpayers embroiled in disputes with the agency. Ten months after Senate Finance Committee hearings spotlighting alleged IRS abuses gave the issue unstoppable political momentum, the Senate was poised to bestow its overwhelming seal of approval on the bill. The House passed it by 402-8 on June 25, and Clinton’s promised signature would finalize the most dramatic changes at the IRS in four decades. Its provisions include shifting the burden of proof from the taxpayer to the IRS in many tax court cases and making it easier for someone winning a tax case to have costs reimbursed by the government.