Republicans to propose IRS Abuse Protection Act

{mosads}”The IRS violated the First Amendment rights of the American people when it created what amounted to an enemies list of conservatives, including Tennessee Tea Party groups, to keep people quiet,” Alexander said. “This legislation will give taxpayers the protection they need to make sure the IRS isn’t using their information in a way that violates their First Amendment rights to speak up and speak out, for political reasons or otherwise.”

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), who will sponsor a House version of the bill, called the IRS’s actions a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment. “I’m committed to making sure the IRS is never again used as a political weapon against any group, conservative or liberal,” he said.

The legislation would require the Treasury Secretary to notify people whenever the IRS access their tax information. The Secretary would also have to say who accessed the information, and why, and give taxpayers a copy of the information that was accessed.