FreedomWorks Statement on IRS Move to Rectify Civil Forfeiture Abuse

Following a report that the Internal Revenue Service will make it possible for innocent Americans to get back money that has been wrongly seized by the tax agency, FreedomWorks Director of Communications Jason Pye commented:

“This is certainly good news, and we appreciate the pressure that members of Congress have applied to the IRS to get to this point. These seizures should never have been allowed in the first place. The people who have been affected by this form of government overreach aren’t criminals, yet, there were treated like they had done something wrong.”

“The people who have been hurt by this are small-business owners like Carole Hinders, Lyndon McLellan and Andrew Clyde, each of whom sought to achieve the American dream, but saw their hard-earned money ostensibly stolen by the IRS. They may have eventually gotten most or all of their money back, but they had to fight for it.”

“Congress must act to ensure that innocent Americans’ money and property are safe from government overreach. We urge both chambers to pass federal civil asset forfeiture reform this year.”

FreedomWorks aims to educate, build and mobilize the largest network of activists, advocating the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty and the rule of law. For more information, please visit www.FreedomWorks.org or contact Jason Pye at JPye@FreedomWorks.org.