Two weeks before the already extended income tax filing deadline of July 15, talk is rampant at the U.S. Department of the Treasury that the deadline will be extended again. At this time, September 15 is the most discussed extension date.
Sources at the Treasury Department told Newsmax that talk of another extension for Americans to file their taxes has been growing amid recent reports that the Internal Revenue Service is behind in doing the necessary paperwork that deals with tax returns.
At a time when 90 percent of U.S. taxpayers file returns electronically, it would appear there is little reason to extend the deadline. However, with some IRS employees just returning to their offices, it appears that the chief reason for extending the filing deadline is an excuse for the tax agency's delay in getting refunds back to taxpayers.
According to the “Business Insider,” 92 million refunds have gone out so far this tax season compared to over 104 million by this time in 2019.
During a recent interview on Bloomberg TV’s “Leadership Live With David Rubenstein,” Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin was specifically asked about a second extension to September 15.
“It’s something I’m thinking about,” he replied, “As of now, we’re not intending on doing that, but it’s something that we may consider.”
Mnuchin went on to tell Rubenstein that the extension from April to July was “absolutely the right thing to do at the time. "We were worried about people not being able to get to their accountants, not being able to get the information and I’m pleased to report returns filings are now down only ten percent and refunds are down only ten percent.”
As of extending the deadline to September, the treasury chief said: “We’ll look carefully as we approach this July date.”
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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