Skip to main content

Congressman Panetta Calls for Answers from IRS on Omitting MilTax, Free Tax Service for Servicemembers, in Advertisements



WASHINGTON, DC – On Friday, February 7, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles P. Rettig demanding answers about the agency’s omission of the MilTax program when advertising free tax preparation and filing programs for military servicemembers.

The IRS recently was quoted in a national publication and posted a press release promoting improvements to the Free File program and its benefits for servicemembers, without mentioning the MilTax program.  The MilTax program, run by the Department of Defense (DOD), provides free tax preparation and filing software for all military servicemembers, regardless of income, whereas Free File is only free for servicemembers earning $69,000 or less.

In his letter to Commissioner Rettig, Congressman Panetta points out the issues with mentioning Free File in the context of servicemembers without mentioning MilTax.  He asks why the IRS has not advertised the program, if they have consulted with DOD on promoting MilTax, and what is preventing them from doing so.

"The IRS is a trusted authority on tax preparation and filing, and when servicemembers hear its commissioner promoting Free File, with no mention of MilTax or other DOD-provided services, they may not look for other options.  This is especially true for servicemembers who have earned more than $69,000, and could reasonably, but incorrectly, believe that there are no free federal services available to them," wrote Congressman Panetta. 

"If incomplete information provided by the IRS is pushing servicemembers and their families towards more expensive and less specialized tax software, then we are failing to serve our men and women in uniform," continued Congressman Panetta. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suspect Vehicle in King City Quadruple Homicide on March 3 Has Been Located

  The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, on behalf of the King City Police Department is informing the community that the suspect vehicle involved in a quadruple homicide that occurred Sunday, March 3 on the 200 block of North Second Street in King City, has been located and recovered.  The vehicle was located in an unincorporated area of South Monterey County. The King City Police Department is receiving assistance from multiple local and federal law enforcement partners in this investigation. Based on the nature of this investigation, no further details regarding the recovery of this vehicle are being released at this time.   The Monterey County Sheriff's Office and the King City PD are asking the community for their assistance in reporting any information they may know regarding this incident which tragically left 4 people dead and 7 people injured, two with critical injuries. Information can be provided by contacting the following: King City Detective Sergeant Josh Partida 831-3
Post a Comment
Read more

3 Vehicle Accident on Highway 101 in Soledad on December 7

  A 3 vehicle crash ocurred on Highway 101 Southbound near the Front Street exit in Soledad at 4:01 pm on Thursday afternoon, December 7. Minor injuries were reported as a result of the collision. 
Post a Comment
Read more

1 Vehicle Rollover Outside of King City on October 20

  1 vehicle overturned off of County Road 18 and Frudden Road outside of King City at 2:34 pm on Friday afternoon, October 20. 1 occupant received injuries as a result of the crash and ended up being transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas to be treated. The cause of the wreck is unknown. 
Post a Comment
Read more