Alert: Avoid phone scammers this tax season

I'd like to warn you about a series of scams my constituents have reported to my office. Seeking to exploit the tax filing season, scammers are impersonating IRS agents or other government officials to cheat people out of their money or obtain personal information like social security numbers. The scams take various forms, but one of the most common is that a scammer calls people, declares that they have an outstanding tax bill, and demands immediate payment over the phone, often threatening some kind of police or court action if they fail to comply.

If you receive a call like this, hang up immediately and report the scammer to the Treasury Inspector General on this page.

These are ruthless con-artists who are stealing money from anyone they can fool or bully into cooperating with them. If someone calls you claiming to be from the IRS, keep in mind that the IRS will never:
Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.

• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Here are links for more information about these scams:

• IRS warning
• Treasury Inspector General warning
• IRS YouTube videos in English, Spanish, and ASL 
• Treasury Inspector General YouTube videos                           

California farmers stand tall

Capay Valley, a rural area northwest of Sacramento, recently had a big turnout to celebrate its 101st annual Almond Festival. This caught my eye because extreme environmental groups have blamed California farmers in general and almond growers in particular for the state's water crisis. Of course, they rely on grossly distorted statistics to make their case, but that doesn't seem to bother many of the media outlets reporting on growers supposedly using too much water.

Like Central Valley farmers, the people of Capay Valley are defying their misguided critics. California farmers help feed the nation and ask little in return except for an adequate water supply. And even though that is no longer being provided, the state's agricultural communities continue to take pride in what they do and how they do it. Our state's farming families are steadfast and dependable—they have earned our gratitude.  
                                               
Separately, the Nunes Digest is updated for your weekend reading here.

Nunes office seeking interns

Spring and summer internships are available in my Washington, D.C. and Visalia offices. If you know someone who is interested in politics and public affairs, wants to gain professional experience, and can excel in a fast-paced environment, please pass along this message.

Interns provide critical staff support and are often called on to work at public events, conduct research, and help with special projects. The application process is now open. For spring internships, candidates must submit their applications immediately; for summer internships, applications must be submitted by April 1, 2016. I accept both part-time and full-time applicants.  

All interns must be high school graduates who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from an accredited college or university. Applications can be downloaded from my website here. 

For answers to questions about my intern program, please call (559) 733-3861 or (202) 225-2523.

Obama's preposterous budget buster

This week President Obama unveiled a $4.1 trillion budget proposal for fiscal 2017 that takes everything into account except economic reality.

If you value a balanced budget then you won't be impressed with this plan, which racks up $9.8 trillion in deficits over the next ten years. The lavish spending programs include the usual slew of Obama's global-warming schemes, including a $32 billion green-transportation program. Think of it as a nationwide extension of California's green energy plan - since that has worked out so well for us. The President's transport program will be funded with an oil tax of $10 per barrel, which will raise the price of gasoline by about 24 cents per gallon. That measure is among nearly $3 trillion in tax hikes proposed in the budget. 
                                               
So if you want to pay higher taxes, pay more for gasoline, and you don't think our $19 trillion national debt is enough, then this is a good budget for you. As for me, I'll be opposing it.

Separately, two months after killing the final opportunity for Congress to pass a compromise California water bill that would have allowed us to capture more water from the current El Niño rains, Senator Diane Feinstein recently introduced a new water bill in the Senate. Although the bill would not deliver much water to the Central Valley, it could pave the way for a new compromise bill. It must first pass the Senate, however, where water bills typically go to die. But if the Senator succeeds in passing the bill, she will have partners in the House of Representatives ready and willing to act - again. 

Statement on implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement

Today I issued the following statement on the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement:

“Today, Iran--the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism--will receive sanctions relief from the U.S. and the international community for allegedly taking steps to scale down its nuclear program. It is almost impossible to verify these actions, and we remain highly skeptical that the regime will follow through on any agreement. In the past month, Tehran has repeatedly violated international law, including testing ballistic missiles, seizing U.S. personnel, and firing rockets near U.S. ships. It is clear that the nuclear agreement has emboldened the regime, a foreseeable outcome that drove Congress to oppose the nuclear deal in the first place. As Iranian hardliners, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, reap the financial windfall of this agreement and use it to meddle in places throughout the world, the United States must be prepared to confront further Iranian aggression.”

Overhauling taxes and State of the Union response

This week I introduced in the House of Representatives a bill—the American Business Competitiveness Act (ABC Act)—that will reform the business tax code. Actually, my bill doesn't reform the code as much as it totally abolishes it and replaces it with some clear, simple rules that everyday, small-business owners can actually understand without help from accountants and lawyers.

A key feature of the bill is that it eliminates all the loopholes and special deals that riddle the business tax code. It treats all businesses equally, no matter their size or how they're organized, so that startups and small businesses can compete with bigger businesses on a level playing field. It would also boost economic growth by an estimated 7.3 percent and create more than a million jobs. You can read my article on the bill here and get more details about it here.

Separately, I watched President Obama's State of the Union speech this week in disbelief as he tried once again to put a smiley face on our deteriorating national security situation. Personally, I don't believe his plan to take in thousands of refugees from ISIS-infested Syria is in our national interest, and I don't think Iran's recent seizure of American sailors was a U.S. diplomatic victory that warranted top U.S. officials thanking Iran for its supposed cooperation. You can read my statement on the State of the Union here.