CONTACTS:
Jayme Foster, LBA Communications Coordinator (225/214-4826)
Lacey H. Weaver, LCUL Senior Vice President (800/452-7221, ext. 3100)
Letter to the Editor: Banks & Credit Unions Take a Stand Against IRS Reporting Proposal
Dear Editor,
Today, there is a dangerous proposal in Washington that would require financial institutions to report to the IRS how much money has gone into and out of accounts holding more than $600. In addition, transferring money from one account to another by an individual could also be subject to reporting. Employees of both banks and credit unions should not be agents on behalf of the IRS in reporting this information.
If there is interest earned on a savings account, it is already reported due to current requirements, which is understandable. However, this proposal would require the local bank or credit union to track their customers‘ money and then to send that activity to the IRS and for the IRS to then decide if any of the bank or credit union customers are avoiding paying taxes.
It is not clear that requiring banks and credit unions to report on every single customer’s financial activity with gross inflows and outflows above $600, creating a mountain of new data, will lead to better tax compliance. Further, this proposal creates massive data security and customer privacy concerns. Furthermore, banks and credit unions already report a tremendous amount of data to the IRS, which the IRS has publicly stated it does not have the capacity to utilize. The amount of new information submitted to the IRS related to this proposal would be unmanageable and of questionable relevance to the calculation of taxable income.
Instead of infringing on the privacy of customers and occupying resources that could otherwise be focused on serving local communities, banks and credit unions urge the IRS to close any tax compliance gap with data it already has.
Sincerely,
Robert Taylor
Chief Executive Officer
Louisiana Bankers Association |
Bob Gallman
President/Chief Executive Officer
Louisiana Credit Union League |
About LBA: Founded in 1900, the Louisiana Bankers Association’s mission is to help banks grow and prosper in Louisiana. For more than 120 years, the LBA has provided Louisiana’s bankers with top-quality professional development, revenue-enhancing products and services, governmental relations and public advocacy. For more information, go to www.lba.org.
About LCUL: The Louisiana Credit Union League is a nonprofit, professional trade association that exists to serve credit unions in Louisiana. LCUL is dedicated, through cooperation, to promote, protect and perpetuate the credit union movement. For additional information, visit www.lcul.com.
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