Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the following statement on the Taxpayer First Act:
“Again and again in my service in the Senate I have battled the tax-preparation software industry to simplify filing taxes for the typical American. In fact, the industry spent millions and millions of dollars to fight my proposals in two tax-reform bills to allow a ‘simple return,’ which would require the IRS to send any American a pre-filed tax return on request using the agency’s tax information," Wyden said. “During the debate on the tax administration bill, my staff pushed back on a prohibition on the agency competing with private tax preparation services, and I will continue to push for my proposal for the pre-filed ‘simple’ return and the principle that a taxpayer should not have to use a private company to pay their taxes online. In addition, the final package reduced the role of private debt collection on the most vulnerable Americans and made permanent a highly-successful program for low-income taxpayers."
