Senator Carper Highlights New Important IRS Tax Initiatives

Today at the Senate Finance Committee hearing “The President’s Fiscal Year 2025 IRS Budget and the IRS 2024 Filing Season,” U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) heard from Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Danny Werfel about the President’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025. During the hearing, Senator Carper highlighted the positive impact that funding from the Inflation Reduction Act has had on taxpayers and IRS operations.

Senator Carper emphasized the success of this year’s IRS Direct File pilot and the importance of continuing the program in future tax filing years while expanding its scope:

“[The] Direct File program […] has been a major step toward improving the taxpayer experience. And this year, taxpayers in 12 states could directly file with the IRS through Direct File. We look forward to working with you and your team to build on the success of this year as a pilot to bring Direct File to taxpayers in all 50 states, including the First State of Delaware.”

Senator Carper also discussed the importance of all taxpayers paying their fair share, including the wealthiest Americans:

“Mr. Chairman, when you and I were House members […] we used to hold a lot of town hall meetings in our respective states. And I remember every year right around tax filing season, […] we would bring in the Division of Revenue [and] the IRS, [and] we would help people file their taxes, prepare their taxes, and have them do an exercise where people in the audience could help us balance a budget. One year, […] a lady in the back of the room […] said, ‘We’re having a hard time. Do you have any thoughts?’ And I said, ‘Well, you haven’t thought at all about revenues. Revenues are part of the solution. And it’s not just raising tax rates, it’s making sure that people who have an income are paying their fair share.’ That lady in the back of the room said, ‘I don’t mind paying more in taxes. I just want to make sure that everybody else is paying their fair share.’ And that’s what we’re trying to do.”

A video of Senator Carper’s questions at today’s hearing can be found here.

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