Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently introduced a bill that aims to make tax filing for individuals easier. The legislation would create an online, free to use program and allow taxpayers to access any personal information that is held by the IRS even if it was transmitted by a third party. The bill has received the support of insurgent presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and is viewed by many as targeting the multi-billion dollar per year tax preparation industry. This interpretation has some support based on another provision of the law that would bar the IRS from agreements with companies that in anyway restricts the ability for the Service to offer free preparation services. However, the bill should also seek to expand the hugely successful, but poorly promoted, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. In Lubbock, VITA has provided high quality, in person assistance to individuals whose tax situations require help beyond what a interactive program could provide. In addition, the program has helped low income individuals save thousands of dollars from fees they would have otherwise paid to preparation services for what are often returns that can be completed in a small amount time. Hopefully Sen. Warren will look to support some of the currently existing assistance programs and learn from their experience about what the average tax payer needs.
See Naomi Jagonda, Warren introduces bill to make filing taxes easier, The Hill, April 13, 2016.
