Van Hollen, Cardin, Colleagues Request the IRS Extend Tax-Filing Deadline for Individual Taxpayers
Statement
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, and Ben Cardin (D-Md,), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined a group of Senate colleagues in urging Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig to extend the April 15, 2020 tax-filing deadline to provide taxpayers greater flexibility amid challenges caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus. Currently, there are more than 1,000 cases of coronavirus in 38 states, with 35 deaths so far.
"Given the growing nationwide concerns regarding the potential spread and the resulting economic and public health impact of such an outbreak, we urge you to act quickly and remove one source of stress that individuals face during this crisis," the senators wrote to Commissioner Rettig. "The American people should not have to worry about filing IRS forms in the middle of a public health emergency."
The deadline to file tax returns with the IRS for the 2019 tax year falls on Wednesday, April 15. The IRS began processing tax returns on January 27, 2020.
"While providing penalty relief is insufficient to address this crisis alone, it would at least lift one burden off the backs of taxpayers, who are trying to keep themselves and their loved ones safe," they added. "If the Trump Administration can grant flexibility to multinational corporations armed with droves of accountants and tax attorneys, then surely it can provide similar relief to hard-working American families."
Joining Senators Van Hollen and Cardin in sending the letter were Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J ), John Tester (D-Mont.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
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