Sun-Sentinel: Wasserman Schultz pitches ID-theft tax-refund bill

Washington, DC, April 17, 2012

By William Gibson

South Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz teamed up with a Republican colleague on Tuesday to introduce a bill designed to stop the growing problem of tax-reform identity theft.

She cited IRS estimates that 850,000 tax returns last year were affected by fraudulent refunds involving identity theft, and Floridians had the most ID-theft complaints.

The bill would increase penalties for those who steal someone’s identity to get their refunds. It also would expand the definition of a victim of identity theft to include businesses and charitable organizations

Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Weston, and House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas, introduced the Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act (H.R. 4362).

Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, has proposed similar legislation in the Senate.

“We have seen countless news stories about how tax refund identity theft is on the rise across the country, particularly in my district in South Florida.” said Wasserman Schultz.

“When I met with Joan Rubinstein in my district, she told me about how she became the victim of tax refund identity theft in 2010 when thieves filed a false tax return using her Social Security number. We must do something to protect Americans like Joan from ever having to go through this headache.”