House Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee are urging the Internal Revenue Service to push the deadline for filing taxes by three months, similar to the extension given last year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Eight Democrats, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., wrote in a letter to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig that the agency should consider moving the deadline to July 15 "without penalties or interest," which would grant "important and necessary relief to taxpayers and practitioners," according to Fox Business.
"Due to the ongoing pandemic, many Americans continue to face the same challenges that necessitated extending the filing season last year," they note.
Although the agency delayed the acceptance date for returns until Feb. 12, an IRS official said earlier this month that there are no plans to delay the filing deadline. Taxpayers are able to request an extension of up to six months to file their returns.
The group of Democrats state that they “are troubled” that taxpayers have only two months to file their returns even while the IRS faces a backlog of paper returns.
"We are troubled that this reduced timeline will exacerbate difficulties for many taxpayers who may be unprepared for the amount due with their return and will have no savings to turn to and less time to consider their options," they wrote. "The IRS is still processing millions of returns from last year and has had less time to adjust to the training and safety needs of newly-hired or recalled employees."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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