PRINTER'S NO. 1307
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
229
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY KORTZ, LONGIETTI, JAMES, SAMUELSON, WARD, BAKER,
NEILSON, MILLARD, A. HARRIS, GABLER, BENNINGHOFF, McNEILL,
READSHAW, MILNE, D. COSTA, GILLEN, PASHINSKI, DUSH, SAYLOR,
RADER AND BOBACK, APRIL 10, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, APRIL 10, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Department of Corrections to enter into a Memorandum
of Understanding with the Internal Revenue Service to address
the ongoing problem of incarcerated individuals filing
fraudulent tax returns and receiving a refund.
WHEREAS, Recent news reports have highlighted cases in which
prisoners filed fraudulent tax returns and subsequently received
illegal refunds; and
WHEREAS, The Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration (TIGTA) issued a 2010 report outlining the scope
of this growing problem; and
WHEREAS, TIGTA reported that approximately 88% of the 287,918
tax returns identified as being filed by prisoners were not
selected for screening; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 48,887 prisoners who filed tax returns
had no wage information reported by employers; and
WHEREAS, Despite this lack of information, these prisoners
claimed refunds totaling more than $130 million, including
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) claims of $78.5 million; and
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