A growing number of Republican led states have announced they will not comply with a Biden administration plan that would allow the IRS to snoop on any banking transactions Americans make of $600 or more.
“I will stand up to this government overreach and protect the privacy of those account holders. Turning over their transaction data to the federal government is illegal under Missouri law and a gross violation of Missourians’ expectation of privacy when it comes to their personal financial records,” Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick said in a statement, according to the Daily Wire.
“I will not turn this information over to the IRS voluntarily and will fight in court to block any attempt by the federal government to compel my office to comply with this mandate,” he added.
“My message is really simple. The people of Nebraska entrusted me to protect the privacy of these accounts and I am not going to comply with this. If the Biden administration sues me, we will take it all the way to the Supreme Court. We are going to fight every step of the way,” Nebraska Treasurer John Murante told Fox News.
Leaders from 24 states sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Janet Yellen in September in opposition to the proposed IRS change.
“We do not believe the federal government should give the IRS the unprecedented and unconstitutional power to peer into law abiding citizens’ private financial accounts. This would be one of the largest infringements of data privacy in our nation’s history and is a direct assault on the financial disclosures of all Americans,” the letter said.
The growing opposition may help delay or stop the measure. If so, it would put to rest one of the greatest new infringements on privacy in America.