As the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) launched pilot programs throughout the U.S. for an unauthorized direct e-file program, Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) released the following statement:
“This pilot program is simply a way to expand the power of the IRS that no one asked for, especially considering Americans already have numerous options for filing free tax returns. From the beginning, the Biden Administration tipped the scales in favor of a direct file program that the American people did not want or need. In fact, hardly anyone has used the IRS system in their testing.
“The outcome of the $15 million ‘feasibility study’ authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act was a foregone conclusion, and taxpayers are rightfully concerned about having the already distrusted IRS function as their tax preparer, filer, and auditor. Additionally, the IRS has not been able to provide information about the overall cost of the direct file scheme, leaving many unanswered questions about how much the American taxpayers will be asked to fork over to develop and maintain a direct file program.
“Twelve state attorneys general joined Ways and Means Committee Republicans in condemning the Biden Administration’s efforts to unilaterally establish direct file without authorization from Congress, and I look forward to working alongside them to stop this bureaucratic grab in its tracks. We have a duty to protect the American taxpayer from an already supercharged IRS that exerts too much control over their lives.”
