Hard-working West Virginians are going through difficult times. Rising inflation makes shopping for everyday necessities more expensive, while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made gas prices rise faster than ever. With the end of tax season fast approaching, lawmakers in Washington D.C. shouldn’t entertain proposals that will make it more difficult for hardworking Americans to file their taxes or receive hard-earned deductions or refunds.
Last year, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) began calling for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to create a government-run tax preparation system. Although such a proposal may seem like common sense at first glance, it would overburden an already overstretched IRS, require taxpayers to surrender more personal data, and would present a clear conflict of interest.
As a small business owner, I have spent too much time dealing with the bureaucracy and delays inherent with the IRS. I am not alone. According to a January report from the independent IRS watchdog Taxpayer Advocate Service, the IRS is still working through a backlog of more than 7 million returns from the 2021 tax season. This means that millions of hard-working Americans are still waiting for refunds, taking money out of the pockets of taxpayers as inflation rises.
Under a government-run tax preparation system, average Americans would have to contact the IRS to have their questions answered. Unfortunately, the IRS has an abysmal track record when it comes to customer service. A recent report from the Washington Post found that only one of every 50 calls to the agency was answered by a human representative. Why should we trust the IRS to answer even more questions when taxpayers can get a quick answer from existing private sector services, like certified public accountants or free online tools? There is no question that the agency is overburdened and overworked, we should not be adding another massive mandate to the IRS’ plate.
Under the proposed scheme, Americans would also have to provide additional personal information and data to the IRS for the agency to accurately generate a tax return. Taxpayers should not be required to give more information to the IRS. In 2016,hackers accessed so called “secure” data stored by the IRS. As a result, millions of Americans had their social security numbers compromised. The following year, the IRS admitted that they had used personal data to target tax exempt organizations for additional scrutiny and audits solely based on their political orientation.
Finally, a government-run tax preparation system would create an inherent conflict of interest. The IRS fulfils an important function. The government needs revenue to fund national defense and social security. The same organization cannot be tasked with also looking out for the financial interests of taxpayers. Millions of Americans hire CPAs or use free online tools because they want to have a private sector advocate and financial expert fighting for their best interest.
Once again, leftist members of Congress are moving full steam ahead with misguided major spending proposals. That is why I am calling on Sen. Manchin to stand up and say “no” to another progressive effort to increase the scope and mandate of the Internal Revenue Service.
Jordan Maynor is a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing the 28th district. Maynor also owns a small real estate and rental business.