R&G Brenner has just been informed by our commercial tax software provider, that the IRS has indicated that the 2015 tax season (for filing tax returns for tax year 2014) will be delayed AT LEAST until January 23, 2015. This means the season could potentially be delayed even beyond 1/23.
While delaying the start of the tax season has become a routine occurrence, this tax season could prove to be especially difficult. The recent spending agreement passed by congress and expected to be signed by President Obama, cuts the IRS Budget down to levels not seen since 1998:
It is a cynical recipe for a self-fulfilling disaster: Give the [IRS] more and more work. Cut its budget. Blame it for failing to do its job. Repeat…For context, in 1998, taxpayers filed about 125 million individual returns. Last year, the agency had to process 145 million.
The IRS Commissioner, John Koskinen, pleaded with members of congress to increase the IRS’ budget and to act quickly on deciding to renew or let multiple tax laws and patches expire…all of which fell upon deaf ears. Mr. Koskinen has now dubbed the 2015 tax season “one of the most complicated filing seasons we’ve ever had” The National Taxpayer Advocate was even more forceful, calling this season “misery” & “the worst filing season ever” for taxpayers.
If there was ever a year to have a tax professional on your financial team, this is it! Contact an R&G Brenner professional today and we’ll help you tackle what is shaping up to be a very difficult tax season.
UPDATE:
The filing season will commence on January 20th, 2015.
