Virginia Public Radio: Elected officials push for free tax filing in Virginia

VIRGINIA PUBLIC RADIO, BRAD KUTNER

Members of the state’s congressional delegation want a new pilot program allowing people to file their federal taxes for free to come to Virginia. And officials in Richmond want it, too.

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is among the signatories of a letter that asks Governor Glenn Youngkin to support a new program which would allow Virginians to file their federal taxes for free.

“For many Virginians the tax filing season can be time consuming, it can be expensive, and it can be confusing,” Spanberger told Radio IQ.

The letter asks for the Commonwealth to adopt the system during the 2025 legislative session. It comes after the IRS developed and piloted the program in 12 states last year. The agency said over 140,000 filers saved about five and a half million dollars by using it.

Among supporters is state Senator Jeremy McPike. “People shouldn’t have to pay to file their taxes. It’s literally taxing taxes.”

According to a study from the Economic Security Project, adopting the free filing system could save Virginia’s taxpayers over $200 million a year.

Delegate Vivian Watts chairs the House Finance committee, which would hear any effort seeking to change the state’s code for the free file system. She said concerns about how the tax preparing industry would be hurt by adopting such a measure are overblown.

“There will always be a clientele for the situation that can be served by those who have expertise in certain areas of tax,” Watts said.

The delegate thinks any effort to reduce the cost of tax filing would sail through the Democratically-controlled chambers.

As for Governor Youngkin, his office told Radio IQ the governor is “closely following the implementation of the IRS Direct File program and looking into its legal and technological implications.”