Legislation introduced by Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) would prevent the IRS from collecting biometric information on taxpayers.
More than a dozen lawmakers, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R), has introduced the Ban IRS Biometrics Act in response to concerns about online security and IRS oversight.
It would stop the IRS “from demanding taxpayers submit biometric data like selfies,’ style face scans to log into accounts, access refunds, and file taxes,” as stated by Senator Scott in a press release.
IRS has stated that it will not implement these measures, but lawmakers say that “the American people cannot ignore the concerns that this gross invasion of privacy raises regarding the collection and security of cataloged data on every American taxpayer — especially following previous IRS data breaches which leaked the confidential personal information of U.S. Taxpayers.”
The lawmakers say that President Joe Biden (D) is on record as endorsing what Senator Scott calls a “gross invasion of privacy” in a statement he released in response to the legislation.
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As he put it, “It is both surprising and deeply concerning that the Biden administration would consider requiring Americans to use facial recognition systems just to file their taxes.”
He went on to say that he was glad the IRS had finally heard his “warning and reversed its horrible proposal – but we must ensure this disastrous idea is never entertained again.”
It is Senator Scott’s hope that his colleagues will join him in “fighting” for legislation that protects the privacy of American citizens.
As a result of a report that Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App must report business transactions exceeding $600, the Internal Revenue Service was previously under scrutiny.
Tax code changes were signed into law as part of a Covid-19 response bill passed in March, according to NBC News.