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National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act of 2025
4/4/2025, 5:20 PM
Summary of Bill HR 997
The National Taxpayer Advocate plays a crucial role in representing the interests of taxpayers and ensuring that they are treated fairly by the IRS. However, under current law, the National Taxpayer Advocate does not have the authority to hire legal counsel, which can limit their ability to effectively advocate for taxpayers.
By allowing the National Taxpayer Advocate to hire and consult with legal counsel, this bill seeks to strengthen the advocate's ability to address taxpayer concerns and provide them with the necessary support and representation. This aligns with the original intentions of the Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, as outlined in the joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying Conference Report 105-599. Overall, the National Taxpayer Advocate Legal Authority Act aims to enhance the National Taxpayer Advocate's ability to fulfill their duties and better serve the interests of taxpayers.
Congressional Summary of HR 997
National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act of 2025
This bill authorizes the National Taxpayer Advocate to appoint legal counsel within the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) to report directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate. The bill also expands the authority of the National Taxpayer Advocate to take personnel actions with respect to local taxpayer advocates (located in each state) to include actions with respect to any employee of TAS.
Currently, pursuant to a Department of the Treasury order, all legal counsel whose duties include providing legal advice to any official in any office or bureau of Treasury are part of the Legal Division within Treasury and under the supervision of the General Counsel, with limited exceptions. TAS assists taxpayers in matters involving the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and is part of the IRS, within Treasury.
