Warren Sees 54 Economists & Professors Support her Tax Legislation

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

GoLocalWorcester Business Team

Elizabeth Warren

As the tax deadline hit for Massachusetts on Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren announced that her Tax Filing Simplification Act has received the support of 54 tax experts from all over the country. The legislation would simplify the tax filing process and decrease the costs of filing for millions of Americans.

"The Tax Filing Simplification Act would make Tax Day easier for people in Massachusetts and across the country who pay an average of $200 for tax preparation services. The government should work for taxpayers - not for the tax preparation industry - and that means reforming our tax filing system to reduce stress and lower costs for families," said Warren.

Those who signed the letter supporting the bill include economists and law professors.

The Tax Filing Simplification Act would direct the IRS to develop a free, online tax preparation and filing service that taxpayers can use to prepare and file their taxes directly with the federal government, if they choose to do so, and would prohibit the IRS from entering into agreements that restrict its ability to provide free online tax preparation or filing services.

The bill was released in conjunction with a Warren staff report which showed how the tax preparation industry has blocked the IRS from implementing laws that would make tax preparation and filing easier for taxpayers.