Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has introduced H.R. 1866, the Members of Congress Tax Accountability Act. H.R. 1866 would require Members of Congress to disclose their delinquent tax liability, would require an ethics inquiry into that delinquency, and would garnish the wages of a Member with a delinquent federal tax liability.
H.R. 1866 is similar to H.R. 828, the Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act and H.R. 829, the Contracting and Tax Accountability Act. These bills previously cleared the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on April 13, 2011.
“Lawmakers have an obvious obligation to the American people to lead by example, and should not enjoy a double standard when it comes to paying their taxes. In fact, they should be held to an even higher standard because of the public trust placed in them,” said Mr. Chaffetz. “Not even Members of Congress are above the laws they write.”