Republicans push back on Democrats’ call to expand IRS direct file: “clear conflict of interest”
The Direct File system has been criticized by Republicans and conservative organizations for a number of reasons, one being that it would create a conflict of interest for the IRS — tasked with maximizing revenue — to act as a filer for taxpayers, who are interested in paying the least amount of taxes owed under the law.
“IRS direct file presents a clear conflict of interest in which the IRS would be tax preparer and auditor, the agency would have every incentive to hand people the highest tax bill possible rather than seeking the best tax return for filers,” Palicz said.
The Reporter previously covered the IRS’s direct file system which was controversially created by the agency after receiving funding for a study of the plausibility of the program as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2021.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.) told the Reporter that the Democrats’ push for direct file “sucks,” Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R., Texas) told the Reporter that “Direct File is nothing more than an excuse to supercharge the IRS at great cost to taxpayers,” and Rep. Kevin Hern (R., Okla.) told the Reporter that the Biden administration’s push for direct file “isn’t the political win [the administration] thinks it is.”
