Free online tax filing proposed in Senate

A bill simplifying and eliminating the cost of tax-filing for the average taxpayer has been re-introduced by Senate democrats.

The Tax Filing Simplification Act of 2017, originally introduced in the last Congress, would direct the Internal Revenue Service to develop a free, online tax preparation and filing service that taxpayers could use to prepare and file their taxes directly with the federal government. For those with simple tax obligations, the bill would permit a return-free option.

In addition, it would give all taxpayers the right to download third-party-reported tax information that the IRS already has and would prohibit the IRS from entering into agreements that restrict its ability to provide free online tax preparation or filing services.

The bill has been endorsed by over 40 law professors and economists, and is endorsed by the National Consumer Law Center on behalf of its low-income clients, Americans for Financial Reform, the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, Americans for Tax Fairness, and the Hispanic Federation, according to a release from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of the bill’s 11` democratic sponsors.