(The Center Square) — A Georgia congressman thinks the Internal Revenue Service should annually audit the president and publicly disclose the findings within 90 days.
The mandate was part of the proposed “Presidential Tax Filings and Audit Transparency Act of 2022,” clearly aimed at former President Donald Trump, who did not release his tax filings, but a policy that ostensibly applies to every president, regardless of their political party.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, argues that such a law would safeguard public trust and ensure tax laws are applied equally to everyone, including the president.
“House Democrats proudly voted to ensure that the federal government serves the interests of the American people above all else,” Johnson said in a statement after the House voted on Thursday to pass the proposal.
“Georgians deserve to know that nobody is above the law – not only in the case of Donald Trump, but for any president,” Johnson added. “By requiring the IRS to audit the president’s finances, this legislation will strengthen faith in our public institutions and uphold transparency in the halls of power.”
While the IRS established a policy to conduct mandatory audits of the president in 1977, a House Ways and Means Committee investigation concluded the policy was “dormant, at best,” according to Johnson’s office. The measure would also require the IRS to audit entities a president controls.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
IRS policy since 1977, says they were actually SUPPOSED to audit the federal tax returns of every sitting president. Somehow Trump managed to skip said MANDATORY audits.
Great idea. Mr Johnson’s proposal should be extended to all members of Congress.