Lawmakers call for tax filing and payment deadline extension

A collection of more than 100 lawmakers led by Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Bill Pascrell Jr. is calling for the approaching April 15 tax filing and payment deadline to be pushed back.

The lawmakers called for the deadline extension in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and Treasury Department Acting Assistant Secretary of Tax Policy Mark Mazur.

Last year the deadline was extended by three months to July 15. The legislators' letter said that the people "are still grappling with the massive economic, logistical and health challenges wrought by this devastating pandemic."

"The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021, contained a provision excluding from income the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits received in 2020 for those with an adjusted gross income under $150,000. The IRS will need to take action to address the changes in the tax law, and taxpayers will need additional time to fully understand how this affects their tax liability. Further, taxpayers and tax return preparers are awaiting guidance from the IRS regarding these recent tax changes and are still waiting for some IRS forms to be made available for electronic filing," the lawmakers noted.

The letter also said that the IRS began the 2020 filing season later than normal.

"With limited in-person tax assistance at local tax preparation clinics, libraries, and community centers, tens of millions of our constituents are facing the same logistical hurdles as last year. Additionally, the IRS is struggling to address taxpayer issues, with the agency reporting that it is answering only 1 out of 4 telephone calls. As our leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee have pointed out, compared with the same time last year, 27% fewer tax returns have been filed already and 31% fewer returns have been processed by the IRS," the letter said.