Representative Camp says IRS scandal has exposed ‘rotten’ tax system

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A leading congressman said on Friday that an Internal Revenue Service scandal had exposed deep problems with the federal tax system, saying it needed to be overhauled.

“Trimming a few branches will not solve the problem when the roots of the tree have gone rotten,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp told a Capitol Hill hearing on the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

“That is exactly what has happened with our entire tax system. It is rotten at the core, and it must be ripped out so we can start fresh,” the Republican congressman said.

(Reporting By Susan Heavey and Laura MacInnis- Editing by Eric Beech)