Trone Signs on to Letter Urging Treasury Department to Reduce IRS Backlog, Bring Relief to Taxpayers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2022
Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov
Trone Signs on to Letter Urging Treasury Department to Reduce IRS Backlog, Bring Relief to Taxpayers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman David Trone (MD-06), along with nearly 200 other Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, signed a letter urging the Treasury Department to address the unprecedented challenges facing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and bring relief to American taxpayers as tax filing season begins.
You can read the letter in full here.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has strained every federal agency, the impact on the IRS has been particularly severe,” wrote the group of lawmakers to Treasury Department Secretary Janet Yellen. “In many cases, the delayed processing of amended returns has been devastating to small businesses in our communities whose applications for emergency loans from the Small Business Administration have been caught in limbo nearly two years after the COVID-19 pandemic began… This has made it impossible for frustrated taxpayers to find any help. When our constituents cannot get assistance from the IRS and TAS, they contact us, and we have our hands tied at this point as well.”
As of December 23, 2021, the IRS had a backlog of six million individual income tax returns and 2.3 million amended individual tax returns. In addition, the IRS has 2 million Employer Quarterly Tax Returns that must be processed before the nearly 500,000 amended Forms 941 can be processed.
The letter continues: “Recognizing the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the IRS operating with antiquated technology and a constrained budget, we find the current situation alarming. We stand ready to support the IRS and look forward to hearing how we can help you address any obstacles facing the agency.”
The letter also suggests measures the IRS could take to bring immediate relief to taxpayers entering tax filing season.
“While we recognize no single action will alleviate issues that have resulted from difficulties at the IRS spanning administrations of both political parties, these steps would provide our constituents with greater certainty as we enter this year’s filing season,” concluded the lawmakers.
The letter received support from the Tax Professionals United for Taxpayer Relief Coalition, which includes American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA), Padgett Business Services, H&R Block, Latino Tax, Professional Association, National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP), National, Society of Tax Professionals (NSTP), National Society of Accountants (NSA), National Society of Black Certified Public Accountants (NSBCPA), National Conference of CPA Practitioners (NCCPAP), Diverse Organization of Firms Advocacy Committee, National Association of Black Accountants (NABA), and Prosperity Now.
The Tax Professionals United for Taxpayer Relief Coalition said: “The Tax Professionals United for Taxpayer Relief Coalition is grateful to Representative Sánchez and the 216 Members of Congress for their leadership towards making this tax filing season a little easier for taxpayers and practitioners. The Coalition represents millions of taxpayers from diverse backgrounds, including those representing Latinos, African Americans, small businesses and low-income taxpayers – Rep. Sanchez and her colleagues are fighting for these taxpayers. Together, we aim to reduce contact with an agency under strain. We ask that the IRS heed the unified voice of our stakeholder coalition and Members of Congress to grant taxpayers relief now.”
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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