If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Again…and Again…and Again

Tweet

May 7, 2013

On April 15, the House of Representatives honored Tax Day by approving a measure that will ensure the hard-earned money we hand over to the federal government every year will not, in turn, be handed over to contractors who are not paying their taxes.

By a vote of 407 to 0, the House passed the Contracting and Tax Accountability Act of 2013 (H.R. 882), introduced by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). The bill requires companies and individuals seeking contracts above $150,000 to certify that they don’t have “seriously delinquent” federal tax debts. Contractors would also be required to authorize the Treasury Department to disclose their tax information to the head of the contracting agency. Certification of a seriously delinquent tax debt would be considered definitive proof of non-responsibility by the agency, which could then initiate a suspension or debarment proceeding against that company or individual.

Tax-delinquent contractors are a problem for several reasons, the most obvious of which is that they starve the government of needed revenue. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that federal contractors owe more than $7 billion in federal taxes. The GAO also found that contractors with unpaid federal taxes have an unfair competitive advantage over tax compliant contractors, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration reported that contractors with unpaid tax liabilities are more likely to perform poorly or default on contracts.

For the last several years, the executive branch has taken steps to fix this problem. In 2008, the government revised the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to require those bidding on contracts to certify they have no delinquent federal tax debts exceeding $3,000 for the previous three years. In 2010, President Obama issued a directive ordering the Treasury Department and other agencies to strengthen procedures to ensure that tax-delinquent contractors are not awarded contracts. By codifying the FAR certification provision, the Contracting and Tax Accountability Act would help achieve the goals of President Obama’s 2010 directive.

This is the fourth attempt by Congress to pass this common-sense contracting reform, which the Project On Government Oversight has long supported. Here’s hoping that the fourth time’s a charm.

Topics: Contract Oversight

Related Content: Contractor Accountability, Federal Contractor Misconduct, Suspension and Debarment

Authors: Neil Gordon

Project On Government Oversight (POGO)

1100 G Street, NW, Suite 500    Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 347-1122     Fax: (202) 347-1116     Email: info@pogo.org

POGO is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible.

Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that champions good government reforms. POGO’s investigations into corruption, misconduct, and conflicts of interest achieve a more effective, accountable, open, and ethical federal government.