Washington, D.C. — As taxpayers in Georgia completed their tax returns, U.S. Rep. John Barrow (D-Savannah) joined a majority in the House of Representatives in voting for the Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act, which passed the House 238-179 Tuesday.

The bill makes the tax code simpler and fairer and makes sure that American tax dollars are spent more wisely.

The Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act (H.R. 5719) will:
• stop taxpayer harassment by ending the private collection of federal taxes by for-profit debt collectors,
• strengthen taxpayer protections from identity theft and tax fraud,
• stop federal contractors from using foreign subsidiaries to evade Social Security and other employment taxes, and
• simplify cell phone tax reporting and expand tax help for low-income taxpayers.

This legislation was strongly supported by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, because it will simplify the tax rules and reduce the paperwork burden for small businesses.

“For too long, the tax code has been skewed in favor of big business,” said Barrow. “I’m always ready to back legislation that’ll ease the tax burden on small businesses.”