TSCPA Applauds Lawmakers for Signing Bipartisan Letters Calling for Taxpayer and Tax Preparer Relief from the IRS
Brentwood, Tenn. — Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) applauds the five members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation who joined many of their colleagues in signing bipartisan letters to the Treasury Department urging it to improve this year’s tax filing season process. The letters addressed to Treasury Secretary Yellen and IRS Commissioner Rettig ask the Treasury Department to provide immediate relief for taxpayers and tax practitioners by reducing the need to contact the IRS. The letters were written in response to the Treasury’s recent statement that the upcoming filing season would not be an improvement over last year.
TSCPA leaders and staff met virtually with most of the Tennessee delegation in October and stressed the need for Congress to pressure the IRS to adopt several recommendations to offer immediate filing relief. All the members of the delegation said they have been deluged with complaints from their constituents.
The launch of income tax filing season this week comes as taxpayers and preparers are already feeling frustration with the IRS over unprocessed prior-year returns and unanswered correspondence. The letters to Secretary Yellen and Commissioner Rettig requested that the IRS consider the following measures to bring immediate relief to taxpayers, and reduce the backlog, during this tax filing season:
- Halt automated collections from now until at least 90 days after April 18, 2022;
- Delay the collection process for filers until any active and pending penalty abatement requests have been processed;
- Streamline the reasonable-cause penalty abatement process for taxpayers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic without the need for written correspondence;
- Provide targeted tax penalty relief for taxpayers who paid at least 70 percent of the tax due for the 2020 and 2021 tax years; and
- Expedite processing of amended returns and provide TAS and congressional caseworkers with timely responses.
The two letters, signed by 191 members of the House of Representatives and 25 Senators, promise that Congress “stands ready to support the IRS and looks forward to hearing how we can help you address any obstacles facing the agency.”
The following Congressional members from Tennessee signed the letters:
- U.S. Representative Tim Burchett
- U.S. Representative Steve Cohen
- U.S. Representative Jim Cooper
- U.S. Representative David Kustoff
- U.S. Representative John Rose
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