ATR sent the following letter today to Congressman John Fleming (R-La.) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fl.):
On behalf of Americans for Tax Reform, I write today in support of H.R. 38/S. 448, the “Senior Tax Simplification Act.” I would urge all Congressmen and Senators to support this common-sense, pro-senior taxpayer legislation.
This bill would instruct the IRS to create a new form in the 1040 series designed especially for senior citizens with relatively-simple tax filing situations. The most common types of income reported by seniors would be on it—interest, dividends, capital gains, Social Security benefits, pension payments, IRA distributions, wages, and unemployment compensation.
For younger taxpayers, a similar form exists today—the 1040-EZ. It only reports wages, interest, and unemployment compensation. Any (childless) single taxpayer or married couple under age 65 making less than $100,000 is eligible to file this short form. Nearly 5 million taxpayers take advantage of this convenient form every year.
There is no reason why a similar form can’t be made available to seniors. 21 million tax returns are filed every year in households where the primary taxpayer is over age 65. Many of these taxpayers could use this form easily to make tax season less complicated.
Tax compliance costs need to be lowered as a part of fundamental tax reform. This bill is a good step in that direction.