Senate Republicans, led by Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), are pushing back against the IRS’ new online verification process.
The process will compel taxpayers to submit additional personal information, including biometric data.
Should the changes go into effect as planned this summer, taxpayers will have to submit this additional information to ID.me, an online identity network partnered with the U.S. government.
A press release from Senate Republicans outlines the GOP response thus far:
In a letter to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, the senators write, “The IRS has unilaterally decided to allow an outside contractor to stand as the gatekeeper between citizens and necessary government services. The decision millions of Americans are forced to make is to pay the toll of giving up their most personal information, biometric data, to an outside contractor or return to the era of a paper-driven bureaucracy where information moves slow, is inaccurate, and some would say is processed in ways incompatible with contemporary life.”
- The senators identify a number of problematic issues and raise serious questions, including, but not limited to:
- The intrusive verification measures that may be required of taxpayers, such as submitting to ID.me biometric data like a video “selfie”–an identifier that cannot be changed if compromised, unlike a password;
- Cybersecurity standards, and how such sensitive data will be stored and protected;
- Oversight issues, since ID.me is not subject to the same oversight rules as a government agency; and
- What assurances and rights are allowed taxpayers within the collaboration, as it appears taxpayers would be subject to multiple terms of agreement filled with dense legal print.
To see the full list of questions and read the letter in its entirety, click here or read below.
Senators signing the letter include:
Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee)
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)
John Cornyn (R-Texas)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Donny Ferguson is a professional fundraiser and organizational manager. Born and raised in Texas, he has lived in Washington, D.C. for 16 years. Ferguson also served as Senior Communications and Policy Adviser in the United States House of Representatives, operating one of Capitol Hill's most effective media operations.
This bunch at IRS have become nothing but a match with Russia’s Kremlin Agent’s. They must be stopped and the likes of them weeded out of our government agencies. The one thing the Clinton’s and Obama’s did was to plant these SOB’s in all our FEDGOV agencies. There must be a required process for idiots/crooo0ks like this to implement their oversight and collection of info on all Americans.
The IRS has backtracked on this and decided not to implement this.
Too little, too late. I needed to get some information from both the IRS and NYS unemployment. I could not get any info without getting directed to ID.me. I really didn’t like the intrusive nature of the questions and was wondering who exactly was behind this info. (CCP?) when I finally got “cleared” I noticed that it wasn’t just the IRS, NYS unemployment, but also the VA and other agencies. Big Brother is definitely watching. Don’t believe the IRS isn’t implementing this. They’ve already got my info and many others that I know about. Do you really think they’re going to erase all that information? And what about all the other agencies that are participating in this?
But wait….this is ok, but no ID is required to vote?
Why should we share any income information with the federal government? Our founders wrote the Constitution to PREVENT government to pry into our personal affairs – until the Sixteenth Amendment was sold to the American People on the basis that “ONLY THE RICH WILL PAY!”
We’ve seen how that’s worked out! We are not all slaves to the Federal (and some State) Governments!
A multi-million dollar study resulted in “The Fair Tax,” a tax on spending, not income with provisions that remove all tax from the poor and ensure that Americans are keenly aware of the cost of Government!
Every American should get a copy of “The Fair Tax Book (Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS)” by Neal Boortz.
Americans are becoming keenly aware of the intrusiveness of government at all levels, and are rising up in protest! The Fair Tax (which will eliminate the IRS and result in the repeal of the Sixteenth Amendment) is an idea whose time has come!
It started with ss#’s. Remember when ‘crazy’ people thought the government could track, power-grab and overreach, with such a thing? ?