The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has endorsed the Taxpayer Assistance and Service (TAS) Act bill, which has completed mark-up by the Senate Finance Committee in the US.
The TAS Act is a bipartisan bill intended to improve tax administration and ease compliance for taxpayers and preparers.
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The AICPA also urged senators to move forward with additional tax administration measures including the Simplify Automatic Filing Extensions (SAFE) Act.
The TAS Act was introduced by Senate Finance Committee chair Mike Crapo and ranking member Ron Wyden.
The organisation said that the proposed legislation incorporates several tax provisions that the AICPA has advocated for a long time.
These include Sec. 101, which focuses on digitising tax returns and correspondence, and Sec. 102, which would create a dashboard to inform taxpayers about processing backlogs and wait times.
The AICPA also advocated Sec. 103 to expand electronic access to information on returns and refunds, Sec. 104 to broaden the use of callback technology and Sec. 105 to extend the capabilities of online accounts.
In addition, the bill addressed Sec. 108, Sec. 405, Sec. 504 and Sec. 902 provisions.
AICPA Tax Policy and Advocacy vice-president Melanie Lauridsen said: “The TAS Act represents an important step towards creating a more effective and taxpayer-focused tax administration system.
“This bill includes provisions that will strengthen taxpayer support while also helping ensure paid tax preparers meet minimal ethical and professional standards that reinforce Americans’ trust in our profession and in the tax system.
“While we are disappointed that some important tax provisions were not included, particularly the SAFE Act, we will continue to work with members of Congress to support common-sense solutions and remain hopeful that these provisions will be addressed in future legislation.”
