OSCPA staff report
In a bipartisan effort, the U.S. House and Senate sent letters on Jan. 26 asking the IRS to consider measures to bring immediate relief to tax preparers and taxpayers. These two letters follow one previously sent on Dec. 9 by nearly 100 Congressional members.
The House letter, addressed to Secretary Janet Yellen, had 191 signers including Ohio Congressional members Brad Wenstrup (R-2), Bill Johnson (R-6), Bob Gibbs (R-7), Tim Ryan (D-13), and Mike Carey (R-15). The Senate letter, addressed to Yellen and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, had 25 signers including Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). The letters cover the impact the backlog and delayed processing is having on Americans and small businesses and requests help immediately.
The measures asked to be taken are to:
The concern is well founded, as recently IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig warned Americans to prepare for a frustrating tax season because of coronavirus-related staffing issues, the new stimulus programs and of funding.
The IRS responded the following day on Jan. 27 by announcing its intention to stop some notices to taxpayers as they increase resources to process backlogged files. The IRS agreed to halt “automated notices in cases where a payment has been credited to a taxpayer, but no return has been processed.”
While this action is a positive first step, OSCPA believes that more should be and could be done by the IRS, without the need for congressional action, to reduce erroneous automated notices and unnecessary taxpayer contact with the IRS.
Write to your representative today through our Take Action tool to let them know how this impacts you!