Strengthening Taxpayer Rights Act of 2017

Strengthening Taxpayer Rights Act of 2017

This bill modifies requirements for the preparation of tax returns and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) procedures for the collection of taxes.

The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to:

• apply tax preparer penalties for the understatement of a taxpayer's liability and other violations to other submissions to the IRS, in addition to tax returns or refund claims;
• increase tax preparer penalties for gross misconduct and other violations;
• require identifying numbers to be included for all submissions to the IRS by tax return preparers (limited to tax returns or refund claims under current law);
• limit the disclosure of taxpayer information to the express purpose for which the taxpayer granted consent;
• provide for de novo review by the Tax Court of IRS innocent spouse relief determinations;
• specify that the determination of whether or not a debt has been discharged may not be based solely on a nonpayment period; and
• restrict the authority of the IRS to use a levy after the collection period has expired.

The bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to reduce from seven years to two years the period that a tax lien may appear on a taxpayer's credit report.