IRS will launch test run of free online tax-filing system
by Tobias Burns - 05/16/23 3:01 PM ET
The IRS announced Tuesday it will launch a test run of a direct, free online tax-filing system for the 2024 tax season, citing high levels of taxpayer interest in such a system and relatively low cost.
In a highly anticipated Tuesday report, the IRS announced it forged ahead and built a prototype of a system that it will deploy in a pilot program.
The program will involve a select number of taxpayers and have a limited scope and functionality to allow the Treasury Department to gauge how taxpayers would interact with it, IRS and Treasury officials said Tuesday.
“Dozens of other countries have provided free tax-filing options to their citizens, and American taxpayers who want to file their taxes for free online should have an acceptable option,” said Laurel Blatchford, who heads the Treasury Department’s office for implementing the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Inflation Reduction Act boosted IRS funding by $80 billion and ordered the agency to issue a report on the feasibility of a direct tax-filing system.
Such a program could allow taxpayers to prepare and file their taxes without the use of popular tax preparation companies, which have spent millions of dollars to defeat previous proposals.
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https://thehill.com/business/domestic-taxes/4006929-irs-will-launch-test-run-of-free-online-tax-filing-system/
