26 U.S.C. Subtitle G — The Joint Committee on Taxation (Internal Revenue Code)

Official source: Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States Code, title 26, release point Public Law 119-111 (https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/111/xml_usc26@119-111.zip). Statutory text and source credits; editorial notes omitted.

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There shall be a joint congressional committee known as the Joint Committee on Taxation (hereinafter in this subtitle referred to as the “Joint Committee”).

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 925; Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, § 1907(a)(1), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1835.)

(a) Number and selection

The Joint Committee shall be composed of 10 members as follows:

(1) From Committee on Finance

Five members who are members of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, three from the majority and two from the minority party, to be chosen by such Committee; and

(2) From Committee on Ways and Means

Five members who are members of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, three from the majority and two from the minority party, to be chosen by such Committee.

(b) Tenure of office

(1) General limitation

No person shall continue to serve as a member of the Joint Committee after he has ceased to be a member of the Committee by which he was chosen, except that—

(2) Exception

The members chosen by the Committee on Ways and Means who have been reelected to the House of Representatives may continue to serve as members of the Joint Committee notwithstanding the expiration of the Congress.

(c) Vacancies

A vacancy in the Joint Committee—

(1) Effect

Shall not affect the power of the remaining members to execute the functions of the Joint Committee; and

(2) Manner of filling

Shall be filled in the same manner as the original selection, except that—

(A) Adjournment or recess of Congress

In case of a vacancy during an adjournment or recess of Congress for a period of more than 2 weeks, the members of the Joint Committee who are members of the Committee entitled to fill such vacancy may designate a member of such Committee to serve until his successor is chosen by such Committee; and

(B) Expiration of Congress

In the case of a vacancy after the expiration of a Congress which would be filled by the Committee on Ways and Means, the members of such Committee who are continuing to serve as members of the Joint Committee may designate a person who, immediately prior to such expiration, was a member of such Committee and who is re-elected to the House of Representatives, to serve until his successor is chosen by such Committee.

(d) Allowances

The members shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as members of Congress; but they shall be reimbursed for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of the duties vested in the Joint Committee, other than expenses in connection with meetings of the Joint Committee held in the District of Columbia during such times as the Congress is in session.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 925.)

The Joint Committee shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its members.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 926.)

Except as otherwise provided by law, the Joint Committee shall have power to appoint and fix the compensation of the Chief of Staff of the Joint Committee and such experts and clerical, stenographic, and other assistants as it deems advisable.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 926; Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, § 1907(a)(2), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1835.)

The expenses of the Joint Committee shall be paid one-half from the contingent fund of the Senate and one-half from the contingent fund of the House of Representatives, upon vouchers signed by the chairman or the vice chairman.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 926.)

(a) To obtain data and inspect income returns

For powers of the Joint Committee to obtain and inspect income returns, see section 6103(f).

(b) Relating to hearings and sessions

The Joint Committee, or any subcommittee thereof, is authorized—

(1) To hold

To hold hearings and to sit and act at such places and times;

(2) To require attendance of witnesses and production of books

To require by subpoena (to be issued under the signature of the chairman or vice chairman) or otherwise the attendance of such witnesses and the production of such books, papers, and documents;

(3) To administer oaths

To administer such oaths; and

(4) To take testimony

To take such testimony;

as it deems advisable.

(c) To procure printing and binding

The Joint Committee, or any subcommittee thereof, is authorized to have such printing and binding done as it deems advisable.

(d) To make expenditures

The Joint Committee, or any subcommittee thereof, is authorized to make such expenditures as it deems advisable.

(e) Investigations

The Joint Committee shall review all requests (other than requests by the chairman or ranking member of a committee or subcommittee) for investigations of the Internal Revenue Service by the Government Accountability Office, and approve such requests when appropriate, with a view towards eliminating overlapping investigations, ensuring that the Government Accountability Office has the capacity to handle the investigation, and ensuring that investigations focus on areas of primary importance to tax administration.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 927; Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, § 1907(a)(3), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1835; Pub. L. 100–647, title I, § 1018(s)(1), Nov. 10, 1988, 102 Stat. 3586; Pub. L. 105–206, title IV, § 4001(a), July 22, 1998, 112 Stat. 783; Pub. L. 108–311, title III, § 321(a), Oct. 4, 2004, 118 Stat. 1182; Pub. L. 109–135, title IV, § 412(rr)(5), Dec. 21, 2005, 119 Stat. 2640; Pub. L. 115–141, div. U, title IV, § 401(b)(56), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1205.)

It shall be the duty of the Joint Committee—

(1) Investigation

(A) Operation and effects of law

To investigate the operation and effects of the Federal system of internal revenue taxes;

(B) Administration

To investigate the administration of such taxes by the Internal Revenue Service or any executive department, establishment, or agency charged with their administration; and

(C) Other investigations

To make such other investigations in respect of such system of taxes as the Joint Committee may deem necessary.

(2) Simplification of law

(A) Investigation of methods

To investigate measures and methods for the simplification of such taxes, particularly the income tax; and

(B) Publication of proposals

To publish, from time to time, for public examination and analysis, proposed measures and methods for the simplification of such taxes.

(3) Reports

(A) To report, from time to time, to the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Ways and Means, and, in its discretion, to the Senate or House of Representatives, or both, the results of its investigations, together with such recommendations as it may deem advisable.

(B) Subject to amounts specifically appropriated to carry out this subparagraph, to report, at least once each Congress, to the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Ways and Means on the overall state of the Federal tax system, together with recommendations with respect to possible simplification proposals and other matters relating to the administration of the Federal tax system as it may deem advisable.

(4) Cross reference

For duties of the Joint Committee relating to refunds of income and estate taxes, see section 6405.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 927; Pub. L. 105–206, title IV, § 4002(a), July 22, 1998, 112 Stat. 784; Pub. L. 108–311, title III, § 321(b), Oct. 4, 2004, 118 Stat. 1182; Pub. L. 115–141, div. U, title IV, § 401(b)(57), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1205.)

(a) Securing of data

The Joint Committee or the Chief of Staff of the Joint Committee, upon approval of the Chairman or Vice Chairman, is authorized to secure directly from the Internal Revenue Service, or the office of the Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, or directly from any executive department, board, bureau, agency, independent establishment, or instrumentality of the Government, information, suggestions, rulings, data, estimates, and statistics, for the purpose of making investigations, reports, and studies relating to internal revenue taxation. In the investigation by the Joint Committee on Taxation of the administration of the internal revenue taxes by the Internal Revenue Service, the Chief of Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation is authorized to secure directly from the Internal Revenue Service such tax returns, or copies of tax returns, and other relevant information, as the Chief of Staff deems necessary for such investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service is authorized and directed to furnish such tax returns and information to the Chief of Staff together with a brief report, with respect to each return, as to any action taken or proposed to be taken by the Service as a result of any audit of the return.

(b) Furnishing of data

The Internal Revenue Service, the office of the Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, executive departments, boards, bureaus, agencies, independent establishments, and instrumentalities are authorized and directed to furnish such information, suggestions, rulings, data, estimates, and statistics directly to the Joint Committee or to the Chief of Staff of the Joint Committee, upon request made pursuant to this section.

(c) Application of subsections (a) and (b)

Subsections (a) and (b) shall be applied in accordance with their provisions without regard to any reorganization plan becoming effective on, before, or after the date of the enactment of this subsection.

(Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 928; Pub. L. 86–368, § 2(b), Sept. 22, 1959, 73 Stat. 648; Pub. L. 94–455, title XII, § 1210(c), title XIX, § 1907(a)(4), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1711, 1835.)