Ahead of Tax Day, TPA Encourages Congress to Extend the TCJA and End IRS Direct File

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of Tax Day tomorrow, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) encourages Congress to permanently extend expiring provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), continue to create pro-growth tax reform, and work with President Trump to end the costly Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Direct File Program. 

David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) President offered the following comment:

“Tax Day serves as an important reminder for Congress to extend essential provisions from the TCJA, a monumental piece of legislation that lowered marginal rates for all taxpayers, lowered the corporate tax from 35 percent to 21 percent, encouraging economic growth and corporate investment.

“Allowing essential provisions to expire from the TCJA would immediately raise taxes for the majority of American taxpayers, and put pressure on businesses. Congress should focus on continuing the simplify the tax code, and build on the pro-growth provisions established by the TCJA.

“Lawmakers should avoid costly tax policy proposals to repeal the tax on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits. These proposals only stand to distort the tax code by benefiting select groups, and push Social Security towards insolvency. Additionally, lawmakers should refrain from changing the tax status of carried interest for private equity managers. Carried interest is essential for continued business investment and innovation, and any change to the exemption could hinder future economic growth.

“The Direct File program is a costly inititative from the IRS, and should never have been approved in the first place. The program expands the role of the IRS to include tax preparer, well beyond its duties as a collector and auditor. There are numerous private programs that provide effective tax filing services, and Direct File is an uneeded expansion from the IRS. This program should be removed, and the IRS should focus on updating IT statements and resolving tax return backlogs.

“This Tax Day, elected representatives should remember whom they represent – and do their diligence to protect the American taxpayer from government overreach and tax hikes.”