Pascrell, Neal Applaud IRS Tax-Filing Extension to May 17

IRS heeds demands for flexibility to strained taxpayers

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, today applauded the decision by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that it would extend the federal tax-filing deadline from April 15 to May 17. The decision comes after Pascrell had led repeated calls in Congress for the IRS to give already-strained Americans flexibility to file their 2020 taxes.

“This extension is absolutely necessary to give Americans some needed flexibility in a time of unprecedented crisis,” said Chairman Neal and Chairman Pascrell. “Under titanic stress and strain, American taxpayers and tax preparers must have more time to file tax returns. And the IRS itself started the filing season late, continues to be behind schedule, and now must implement changes from the American Rescue Plan. We are gratified that the IRS has recognized the need and heeded our calls for additional time, and while we are pleased with this 30-day extension, we will continue to monitor developments during this hectic filing season. We look forward to hearing directly from the Commissioner tomorrow afternoon to discuss how the IRS is managing this filing season and the justification for the duration of this extension.”

Tomorrow, March 18 at 2PM, Chairman Pascrell will convene a hearing on the 2021 Tax Filing Season and hear testimony from IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig.

As Oversight Subcommittee Chairman, Pascrell has led calls in Congress demanding an extension to the tax-filing deadline for the past month. On February 18, Pascrell led a letter from the Oversight Subcommittee Democratic members requesting an extension. On March 8, Pascrell and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA-01) demanded the IRS issue an extension. On March 16, Oversight Chairman Pascrell and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) led over 100 Democratic and Republican members seeking an extension.

Pascrell has made oversight and reform of the IRS a top priority. Pascrell has raised alarms on the slow start to the 2021 tax-filing season, and with Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA-01) has castigated the IRS’s continually sending out erroneous notices to taxpayers. On February 18, Pascrell held a hearing on free tax preparation services available to in-need Americans during the pandemic.

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