The Biden administration on Tuesday endorsed a scaled-back version of a proposal that could force banks to turn over customers’ account information to the Internal Revenue Service under growing criticism from banking groups and Republicans.
Under a new plan that Senate Democrats are expected to unveil, banks, credit unions and other financial institutions would be required to report annually on accounts with deposits and withdrawals worth more than $10,000, rather than the $600 threshold that President Biden initially proposed.
Banks are already required to report any transaction that exceeds $10,000 to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network – part of anti-money laundering requirements.
In a September letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., more than 40 banks urged lawmakers to vote against such a proposal, warning it could create a “tremendous liability” for all involved by requiring the collection of financial information for the majority of Americans “without proper explanation of how the IRS will store, protect and use this enormous trove of personal financial information.”