JOINT COMMITTEE ON TAXATION
PRESS RELEASE

The Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 (the "IRS Reform Act") requires the chair of the Joint Committee on Taxation to convene a joint review of the strategic plans and budget of the IRS. The joint review is to be held by June 1 of each year after 1998 and before 2004. The joint review is to include two Members of the majority and one Member of the minority from each of the House Committees on Ways and Means, Appropriations, and Government Reform and the Senate Committees on Finance, Appropriations, and Governmental Affairs.

Pursuant to the IRS Reform Act, Congressman Bill Archer, Chairman, Joint Committee on Taxation, has scheduled a joint review of the IRS strategic plans and fiscal year 2000 budget for Tuesday, May 25^th at 11:00 a.m. in room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building. Charles O. Rossotti, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, will be the only witness. The joint review will be open to the public.

The requirement of a joint review stems from concerns raised by the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS, which found that the Congressional Committees responsible for IRS oversight "focus on different issues from year to year. While these issues are important, there is a lack of coordinated focus on high level and strategic matters. Because the IRS tries to satisfy requests from Congress, this nonintegrated approach to oversight further blurs the ability to set strategic direction and focus on priorities."

In announcing the joint review, Chairman Archer stated: "Passing the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act was the first step towards making the IRS more responsive to taxpayers. The next major step is continued oversight of the IRS to ensure that the law is being implemented the way Congress intended."

Senator William V. Roth, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation, commented: "It is helpful in our ongoing oversight of the IRS for these Committees to get together to review the agency's progress on reform."