Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller reiterated his warning of a very late opening to tax filing season. In a letter sent to Ranking Member Sander Levin of the House Ways and Means Committee (and sent to Chairman Dave Camp, and Senators Baucus and Hatch), Commissioner Miller noted:
As I stated in my letter dated November 13, 2012, the IRS has maintained the programming of its systems assuming that the AMT [Alternative Minimum Tax] will be patched as it has been in previous years. I also indicated that if an AMT patch is not enacted by the end of this year, the IRS would need to make significant programming changes to conform our systems to reflect the expiration of the patch. In that event, given the magnitude and complexity of the changes needed, I want to reiterate that most taxpayers may not be able to file their 2012 tax returns until late in March of 2013, or even later.
This situation would create two significant problems: lengthy delays of tax refunds and unexpectedly higher taxes for many taxpayers, who will be unaware that they are newly subject to AMT liability. Moreover, if Congress were to act at some point next year to enact a new AMT patch, the time and substantial expense necessary for the IRS to reprogram its systems to reflect expiration of the patch would ultimately be wasted.
In my previous letter, I estimated that more than 60 million taxpayers might be prevented from filing their tax returns while we are reprogramming our computers. This figure includes those who would be subject to additional tax as well as those who would be required to perform the calculation to determine if the changes in thresholds and credit ordering rules affect their tax liability. As we consider the impact of the current policy uncertainty on the upcoming tax filing season, it is becoming apparent that an even larger number of taxpayers — 80 to 100 million of the 150 million total returns expected to be filed — may be unable to file.
This has gotten little publicity in the media, but is likely going to be a huge issue if it comes to pass. We shall see….
Tags: 2012.year.end