House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., called on the Internal Revenue Service on Monday to extend the 2021 tax filing season.
Noting that the "pandemic continues to impose titanic strain on the agency and on taxpayers," the two lawmakers stated that in 2020, the tax filing season was extended by three months to July 15.
Further, once signed into law, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by the Senate on Saturday, "will change the tax laws applicable to unemployment benefits received in 2020 and reported on returns filed during this filing season," the lawmakers said. "Taxpayers need more time to file accurate returns and get their questions answered by the IRS."
Neal and Pascrell stated: "We want to remind the IRS that many Americans continue to face the same health and economic challenges that necessitated an extension last year. Facing enormous strain and anxiety, taxpayers need flexibility now. We demand that the IRS announce an extension as soon as possible."
