Taxpayer Watchdog Begins Countdown to Tax Day Concerned with IRS

For Immediate Release         Contact: Abigail Graham (202- 417-7235)

March 18th, 2022                                 

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) launched a Countdown to Tax Day as concerns over Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues grow. The 2022 filing season is well underway and approximately 24 million Americans are still waiting for last year’s tax return. 

While many Americans still wait on returns, reports show nearly half of all audits in 2021 targeted the poorest Americans. A tactic the agency has admitted is due to lower income American’s inability to access resources to fight to back making the process easier for the government and boosting revenue. 

This dysfunction and malpractice should serve as a warning to members of Congress that wish to expand the agency’s role.  Visit TPA’s Tax Day resource page for more information.

TPA President David Williams offered the following comment on the launch of the countdown:

“Time is ticking for the IRS to address dysfunction at the agency. Members of Congress should look at the current state of the IRS and see clearly this is not an agency prepared to take on additional responsibility by preparing returns as proposed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).  And, as witnessed by the backlog of returns from last year or the agency’s inability to provide adequate customer service for taxpayers seeking help, the agency is not looking out for American families’ best interests.

“Preparing returns would greatly expand the IRS’ role and potentially put the privacy of millions of taxpayers’ at risk. With outdated processing systems and excessive backlogs from the previous tax year, now is exactly the wrong time to be giving the IRS even more authority over American’s hard-earned dollars.”

“In light of the recent problems, we were pleased to see a bipartisan group of senators and representatives call on the agency for answers, but more must be done to protect taxpayers.  We urge taxpayers to check TPA’s website on a regular basis for updates.