House Committee letter to IRS asks if coronavirus will force a tax season extension?

The House Ways and Means Committee yesterday sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service to ask whether the April 15 deadline should be extended due to concerns about the coronavirus.

Officials have responded to the COVID-19 outbreak by issuing quarantines, closing schools, canceling conferences, and instituting containment zones. It looks like the tax filing deadline could also be affected by the disease.

Billing itself as “the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives,” Ways and Means is responsible for overseeing and dictating the direction of the tax system. To address coronavirus-related disruptions, the committee asked the IRS whether it would recommend extending the filing deadline.

“Specifically,” the Committee wrote, “we are concerned about the ability of the IRS to provide taxpayer assistance and process returns, as well as the ability of taxpayers, free tax preparation sites, and tax professionals to meet the filing deadline.”

The letter also raises the possibility of penalty relief: “We are hopeful that the IRS will consider the need for relief from certain filing and payment penalties for taxpayers and communities impacted by COVID-19.”

Source: WaysAndMeans.House.gov