[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 5] [House] [Page 6289] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SIMPLIFY THE TAX CODE The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire) is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. ALTMIRE. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on behalf of America's small business owners and small business owners in western Pennsylvania who have recently finished filing their taxes with the Federal Government and have struggled over the past year to provide goods, services, and jobs during this recession. As we all know, April is tax month for American citizens. And as a member of the Small Business Committee, I had the opportunity to hear testimony by Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas Shulman on April 14. Commissioner Shulman walked through the service and disclosures provided by the IRS during tax preparation season. He described outreach being performed on many levels to aid small businesses in complying with the convoluted tax system they faced as American job creators. While the IRS has a responsibility to use its funding to conduct outreach and facilitate voluntary compliance with tax laws, it's Congress that has the responsibility to hear the calls of America's small businesses for more streamlined and simplified tax regulations. The outreach and disclosure by the IRS is certainly helpful. However, I would prefer to see it become less necessary. If America's small business owners were not spending so much valuable time deciphering codes and regulations, they could be growing their businesses to earn profits, create jobs, and lead America back to prosperity just as they have always done through past recessions. Less time spent complying with the Tax Code would increase tax revenue by allowing small businesses to focus more time on running their businesses, meanwhile saving the IRS time and money in outreach and instruction on their intricate rules and requirements for every small business in America. I hope that by April of next year Congress can find the time to work on behalf of America's small businesses and simplify the Tax Code. ____________________