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

Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

KRKC COUNTRY

Search This Blog