Another Slow Start To Tax Season
Republicans were hoping tax season would begin with a bang, but something curious is happening: The number of people filing is down.
The IRS says it has collected about 51.5 million returns so far this year, which is 1.7 percent fewer than last year. That’s not a big decline, but it comes on the heels of a similar decrease last year (3 percent) and the year before that (1.7 percent).
And the cumulative effect is significant. Though the opening of tax season is seen as especially busy, as people clamor for refunds, the IRS so far has seen about eight million fewer returns than it did during the same period in the filing season before the pandemic.
It’s a little-noticed change that has puzzled experts — though there are lots of theories, from people being confused about President Donald Trump’s new tax provisions to more people procrastinating because they owe the IRS.
Some wonder too if it’s a sign that undocumented immigrants have stopped filing.
