In the News

Prominent conservative activist Grover Norquist is championing a tax reform proposal from a Florida congressman. 

Towards the end of last week, Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, announced his support for U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn’s, R-Fla., “Refund Rights for Taxpayers Act.” Pointing to a problem a constituent in his North Florida distract has had with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Dunn’s proposal would give taxpayers seven years instead of the current three to claim overpaid taxes. Under Dunn’s legislation, the IRS’ window to collect back taxes would shrink down from ten years to seven. 

“The IRS works for taxpayers, not the other way around,” Dunn said when he showcased his proposal on Thursday. “This bill is based on the simple principle that taxpayers should be able to collect from the IRS for at least as long as the IRS can collect from them. The Refund Rights for Taxpayers Act rectifies the unfairness in current law. And like many other good legislative ideas, it comes from the frustrations and concerns expressed by hardworking taxpayers at home.”

Dunn noted that the IRS is currently sitting on more than $1 billion from over a million Americans. 

“With one billion dollars worth of refunds at stake, American taxpayers deserve to have their refund rights protected against the IRS,” Dunn said.

“I write in support of the ‘the Refund Rights for Taxpayers Act, legislation that ensures taxpayers and the IRS have the same amount of time to correct any mistake that resulted in the payment of either too much or too few in taxes,” Norquist wrote in support of Dunn’s proposal. “This legislation is a simple, yet important solution that ensures taxpayers and the IRS are held to the same standard.”  

Dunn’s proposal was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. So far, co-sponsors include prominent conservatives including U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, fellow freshmen including U.S. Rep. John Faso, R-NY, and Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Tom Rooney and Dennis Ross.