Washington- On April 15, 2000 taxpayers will have the chance to see the 17,000 page IRS tax code tossed from a hot air balloon at "Toss the Tax Code 2000.  The event will take place at Greenville Technical College in Greenville, SC at 4:00pm. 

Congressmen Jim DeMint (SC), Billy Tauzin (LA), and John Sununu (NH) are sponsoring the event to bring attention to the overly complicated IRS tax code and the move to bring the code to the table for debate.  These congressmen are working to pass legislation that would create a deadline for Congress to reform and simplify the burdensome tax code.  Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) urges taxpayers to attend this free event.

"American families have invested so much time and money in just dealing with their taxes.  It is bad enough that 40% of their earnings are taken in some form of taxation but they also have to fight through all of the rules and regulations the IRS has created to file once a year.   This event is a great opportunity for taxpayers to get involved and support this reform," stated Grover G. Norquist, president, ATR.

"The code is so difficult to understand that 60% of Americans take their taxes to someone else to be done.  Asking Congress to reform this code by a certain date is not a big favor.  Every American deserves to understand the tax code and deserves a fairer, simpler tax system," remarked Damon B. Ansell, vice president of policy, ATR.

Ambassador Alan Keyes, Congressmen Lindsey Graham, Mark Sanford, and Floyd Spence, and the Honorable Bob Inglis have been invited to attend this event.  Admission is free to enjoy music and speeches.  There will be a BBQ and hot air balloon rides for fee.