Pardon Our Dust
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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“I would assume that hopefully we’d come up with a plan that we all agree on. The president will put out principles […] in terms of what his goals are and how he wants to drive this as the process moves forward. [W]e’re going to have a robust debate about aspects of the plan, certain provisions, and certain other taxes pieces. But we’re going to work with the House and Senate on it.”
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LEGISLATIVE LANDSCAPE
Ridin’ on a Tax Train. The White House is driving the train on tax reform, but there is a bit ofconfusion as to where the administration is exactly in the process. Trumpconvened a meeting with his top economic advisers last week to review thepolicy options and process for reform. In the room were Treasury SecretarySteven Mnuchin, chief strategist Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner, NationalEconomic Council Director Gary Cohn, Special Assistant Shahira Knight, aswell as Craig Phillips and Justin Muzinich, both counselors at Treasury.The president was briefed on both the House GOP tax reform blueprint andthe Camp Draft.
The White House remains mum on the timing and content of the president’stax plan. Back in February, the president said that his administration was“going to be announcing something […] over the two or three weeks that willbe phenomenal in terms of tax.” It’s April, and tax policy wonks have yetto lay eyes on the White House proposal. This is perhaps a sign that theadministration is taking a more deliberative approach after the healthcaredebacle.
Some Republican lawmakers aren’t completely thrilled with the idea of theadministration offering a competing tax proposal. Although House Ways andMeans Chairman Kevin Brady welcomes the president’s leadership on taxreform, he would rather …
Sooo Over It.Like any jilted ex, the Trump Administration and congressional Republicanskeep insisting that they are over health care reform, littering their newsfeeds with mentions of their new interest: tax reform. However, rumors keepsurfacing that the White House has not moved on from the healthcare fight.
For the past week, the administration and members of the House FreedomCaucus have been trying to work out a deal to revise and revive the American Health Care Act (AHCA) On the chopping block areprotections allowing adult-children under age 26 to maintain coverage undertheir parents’ insurance plan and essential health benefits (EHBs). EHBsinclude 10 services on plans: (1) ambulatory patient services; (2)emergency services; (3) hospitalization; (4) maternity and newborn care;(5) mental health and substance use disorder services including behavioralhealth treatment; (6) prescription drugs; (7) rehabilitative andhabilitative services and devices; (8) laboratory services; (9) preventiveand wellness services and chronic disease management; and (10) pediatricservices, including oral and vision care. The revised bill would also allow…
Do the Roc-Away, Now Roll Back.On March 30, the Senate voted 50-49 to approve H.J. Res. 67 repealing theMunicipal Auto-IRA Rule finalized under the Obama Administration. Publishedon Dec. 20, 2016, the rule allows large cities and counties to set upauto-enrollment retirement savings programs. Specifically, the ruleestablishes programs that require employers to automatically enroll theiremployees into IRAs managed by a city or county. It does so by providing asafe harbor from the requirements of ERISA for IRAs managed by certainpolitical subdivisions.
Even though Trump promised on the campaign trail to allow municipalitiesand states to continue offering retirement plan, he is expected to sign theresolution. Trump advisor Diana Furchtgott-Roth said, “Trump believes anystates who want to set up their own auto-IRAs have every right to do so andhe doesn’t want to interfere with their initiatives.” Republicans justifiedtheir vote in favor of H.J. Res. 67 on the grounds that …
REGULATORY WORLD
Tax Professionals Weigh in on IRS Agenda. On April 3, tax practitioners and accountants wrote a letter to Congress insupport of its efforts to ensure a service-oriented, modernized taxadministration system. The tax practitioners explained their role asadvisers to millions of taxpayers gives them significant insight into theInternal Revenue Service (IRS), making them uniquely qualified to offerrecommendations to improve the agency. The letter sets forth the “Ensuringa Modern-Functioning IRS for the 21st Century” framework, offering thefollowing suggestions:
- Any effort to modernize the business practices and technology of the IRS should build on the foundation established by the June 25, 1995 report of the National Commission on Restructuring the IRS.
- As part of congressional oversight, the annual joint hearing review should be reestablished.
- The Joint Committee on Taxation should provide a bi-annual report on the overall state of the federal tax system.
- The GAO should review the IRS Oversight Board and determine if it is an essential component to allow the IRS to become a respected, service-oriented organization.
- The IRS should utilize the full range of available authorities to hire and compensate qualified and experienced professionals from the private sector, as needed, to improve the agency’s ability to meet its mission.
- The legislative and executive branches should determine the appropriate level of service and compliance they want the IRS accountable to provide and then dedicate appropriate resources for the agency to meet those goals.
- Customer satisfaction surveys should continue as a measure of success for the agency.
- The IRS should provide the needed face-to-face interaction to accommodate those taxpayers who cannot afford or choose not to use the online account features.
- The IRS must designate a new dedicated “executive-level” practitioner services unit. Under this service unit, the IRS should provide tax practitioners with a tax professional account with immediate account access to all of their clients’ information. The secure account must also include single sign-on authentication.
- The IRS should offer robust practitioner priority hotlines with higher-skilled employees capable of addressing complex technical and procedural issues.
- Finally, the IRS should assign customer service representatives to address complex issues that practitioners are unable to resolve through the priority hotlines.
Tax practitioners hope that these recommendations will help the IRSimprove, noting that the “current degradation of the IRS’ services isunacceptable.”
The letter comes as Congress once again contemplates slashing the agency’sfunding, which has been drastically reduced for years by Republicans. Theletter stopped short of recommending increased funding for the IRS.
Battle over CFPB’s Constitutionality Continues. In a legal brief filed on March 31, the Consumer Financial ProtectionBureau (CFPB) urged the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C to upholdthe agency’s constitutionality, noting that “[t]he president has no lesscontrol over a single-director agency than he does over a multi-membercommission.” The CFPB’s breach cited various precedent, including the factthat the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed independent agencies run byofficers that a president does not have the power to remove without cause.
The Justice Department filed its brief on March 17, arguing that thepresident should be allowed to fire the CFPB’s independent director atwill. The Justice Department wrote …
COMMANDER-IN-TWEET
President Trump is gunning for the House Freedom Caucus after the GOP’sfailed attempt to repeal Obamacare:
LINE ITEMS
- A group of House Democrats led by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) is calling on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services to increase funding for the Internal Revenue Service for fiscal year 2018. Democrats are asking for $12.9 billion for the IRS, arguing that an increase would help the tax-collection agency to better address cybersecurity threats and provide timely service to taxpayers. The agency’s current budget is about $11.2 billion. President Trump has proposed to cut the IRS budget by $239 million.
- President Trump is expected to nominate David Kautter to the post of assistant secretary for tax policy at the Treasury Department. Kautter is currently the managing director of the Kogod Tax Center at American University. Prior to joining the university, Kautter was a partner at Ernst & Young.
LOOKING AHEAD
Congressional Activity
Wednesday, 4/5
Joint Economic Committee
Full committee hearing on “The Decline of Economic Opportunity in theUnited States: Causes and Consequences.”Senate Banking Committee
Economic Policy Subcommittee hearing on “The Current State of RetirementSecurity in the United States.”House Financial Services Committee
Full committee hearing on “The 2016 Semi-Annual Reports of the Bureau ofConsumer Financial Protection.”House Agriculture Committee
Full committee hearing on “Agriculture and Tax Reform: Opportunities forRural America.”
Thursday, 4/6
Senate Finance Committee
Full committee hearing on the 2017 filing season and IRS operations. IRSCommissioner John Koskinen will testify.House Financial Services Committee
Financial Institutions Subcommittee hearing to examine the federalfinancial regulatory system and opportunities for reform.House Small Business Committee
Full committee hearing on “Scam Spotting: Can the IRS Effectively ProtectSmall Business Information.”
Other Activity
Tuesday, 4/4
Alliance for Health Reform
Webinar on “What’s Next for Health Policy.”Insured Retirement Institute
Discussion on the challenges that women face when planning retirement.Brookings
The Brookings Institution holds a report launch discussion on “Read MyLips: Why Americans are Proud to Pay Taxes.”
Wednesday, 4/5
National Press Club
Newsmaker Luncheon address with IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
For listings of all the week’s tax and financial services happenings, read below to find out how you can become a subscriber.
The McGuireWoods’ Tax & Financial Services Policy Group assists clients in understanding how the latest legislative and regulatory proposals anddecisions may impact their business and industry. To learn more about how our team can help you monitor, analyze, and navigate all relevant legislativeand regulatory developments, please contact any of our attorneys and consultants below at (202) 857-1700. For more information on how to subscribe toour weeklyTax Policy Update and tax news alerts, please contact Radha Mohan, rmohan@mwcllc.com, (202) 857-2944.
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