One proposal under consideration would require credit unions and other financial institutions to report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) how much money has gone into and out of deposit accounts that have a balance of $600 or more. This would affect the vast majority of consumers.
This unprecedented access to personal financial data raises several alarms.
- This proposal would violate consumers’ personal privacy by forcing credit unions and banks to provide the government with information that does not reflect taxable activity.
- The government relies on decades old data systems to store and secure IRS information. These systems have already been compromised in recent years, and the addition of this type of data only increases the likelihood of a future breach.
- Financial institutions—particularly those in rural and low-income communities—would face unnecessary and expensive regulatory hurdles that could make it untenable to serve those consumers already left behind by Wall Street banks.
Don’t let Congress jeopardize consumers’ personal financial privacy by allowing the IRS to access nontaxable deposit account information from credit unions and banks.
You can send a message directly to your Senators and Representative by clicking the button below to visit Credit Union National Association's Grassroots Action Center: