As taxpayers in Texas completed their tax returns, Congressman Cuellar joined a majority in the House of Representatives in support of the Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act, vowing to help put the tax code back on the side of middle class families.  The Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act was passed by the House today in a vote of 238-179. 

The bill takes action on behalf of America’s taxpayers.  The legislation strengthens taxpayer protections from identity theft and tax fraud, simplifies cell phone tax reporting and expands tax help for low-income taxpayers.

The Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act also includes measures to make the tax code easier to use and understand.  Currently, the tax code contains more than seven hundred provisions affecting individuals and more than fifteen hundred affecting businesses – a total of more than 1.4 million words. The confusing tax code costs taxpayers more than $1 billion annually because taxpayers make the wrong decisions on tax forms.  The bill passed today strengthens IRS outreach and assistance efforts to help ensure taxpayers know they are entitled to tax refunds or to payments under the Earned Income Tax Credit.

The legislation also takes steps to close egregious corporate loopholes and stop federal contractors from using foreign subsidiaries to evade Social Security and other employment taxes. Currently, companies avoid paying their fair share of Social Security and Medicare taxes by creating shell companies in the Cayman Islands.  The Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification closes this loophole, which costs American taxpayers almost $100 million a year.

 “I was proud to back legislation that reinvests in America and helps ensure taxpayers who play by the rules get the assistance they need and deserve,” said Cuellar.

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Congressman Henry Cuellar is a member of the House Homeland Security, Small Business, and Agriculture Committees in the 110th Congress; accessibility to constituents, education, health care, economic development and national security are his priorities. Congressman Cuellar is also a Senior Whip.