Politics

Protection of Taxpayer Info Cited In Avoiding Answers on IRS Scandal

Congressional investigation tough to move forward

|

It isn't just an IRS official pleading the Fifth Amendment that's slowing efforts to uncover the facts behind the Internal Revenue Service scandal. It's Section 6103.

The tax code's privacy protections — designed to prevent disclosure of taxpayers' information—were mentioned 26 times in the first round of congressional hearings on the IRS, repeatedly stopping lawmakers' inquiries. The constitutional protection against self-incrimination was invoked once.