End IRS Abuse of Federal Forfeiture Laws

Ahead of a scheduled vote in the House of Representatives on the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act (H.R. 5523), which addresses the Internal Revenue Service’s abuse of federal civil asset forfeiture laws, FreedomWorks CEO Adam Brandon commented:

“In March 2015, the Department of Justice announced administrative changes that reined in the Internal Revenue Service’s abuse of federal forfeiture laws to seize money from innocent people who, the tax agency believed, were attempting to structure deposits to skirt bank reporting requirements. Law-abiding small business owners like Andrew Clyde, Jeff Hirsch and his brothers, and Randy Sowers experienced this egregious abuse of federal forfeiture laws first hand and saw their livelihoods threatened.”

“The Department of Justice’s administrative changes, which prevent seizures only when there are criminal charges filed or when criminal activity other than structuring is suspected, go only so far. The next administration could reverse the tide to allow the IRS to engage in this pernicious, scandalous practice once again. The RESPECT Act would codify these administrative changes into law, preventing the IRS from essentially stealing money from innocent people.”

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