WASHINGTON -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman William V. Roth, Jr. (R-DE), today released the following statement in regard to the release of Vice President Gore's "Reinventing Service at the IRS" report:

"I am delighted by the personal interest that Vice President Gore has taken in revamping the IRS. As I have stated from the beginning, we need to make this a service oriented agency, instead of a law enforcement agency. Improving customer service must be an important part of any reform effort. This report promotes valid methods in which the IRS may become more interactive and responsive to taxpayers.

"It is very important that the Congress address the underlying problems within the agency, difficulties that go way beyond bad customer service. As our hearings amply demonstrated, the problems at the IRS will not be corrected by reports alone. This study does not address the plight of taxpayers drowning under mounting interest and penalties. Nor does it take steps to establish safeguards against the harassment of taxpayers, agents' lack of accountability for their behavior, and abuses of liens and levy authority by agents.

"Nothing short of a major restructuring will cause the IRS to reverse course. Within the next few weeks, I will unveil a comprehensive IRS reform package. Effective legislation should not be rushed into law, but should be considered in a thoughtful, deliberate and serious manner with input from all sides. The Finance Committee has received such input, and I believe all parties will be satisfied that my reforms go a long way toward solving the problems within the IRS. The true test of this Administration's commitment to reforming the IRS will be whether they support this legislation.

"It takes time to develop the kind of legislation that will finally force the IRS to live up to its own mission statement: 'to collect the proper amount of tax revenue at the least cost; serve the public by continually improving the quality of our products and services; and perform in a manner warranting the highest degree of public confidence in our integrity, efficiency and fairness.'

"I've sent out the call that 'business as usual' will not be tolerated. Legislation needs to go beyond 'Reinventing Service at the IRS' -- I intend to reinvent the IRS as a whole."