NSBA led 30 organizations in urging the House to pass the bipartisan Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act, which would make it easier for small businesses to track refunds, respond to IRS notices online and resolve tax disputes.
The National Small Business Association (NSBA) led a coalition of 30 organizations in a Nov. 9 letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to bring the bipartisan Taxpayer Assistance and Service (TAS) Act (H.R. 5349) to a vote. The Senate passed its amended version by unanimous consent Sept. 30, and the coalition is calling on the House to approve it before the end of the year.
For small-business owners who handle taxes themselves or rely on outside advisers, a routine IRS notice can mean hours on the phone or weeks waiting for a response by mail. The coalition argues that giving owners better tools to resolve those issues would lower compliance costs and free up time for customers and employees.
The bill would improve online tracking for returns and refunds, create a public dashboard for IRS backlogs and wait times, and let taxpayers and their authorized representatives view and respond to certain IRS notices online. The package also calls for wider availability of phone callbacks.
The TAS Act would also help prevent fraudulent filings by creating a real-time system to validate the credentials tax professionals use to file electronically on behalf of clients. Filing software would have to block covered submissions if those credentials could not be validated. The bill would also allow businesses and independent contractors to agree to voluntary tax withholding, extend the timely-mailing rule to electronic filings and payments, and give taxpayers a path to bring certain refund disputes to the U.S. Tax Court.
NSBA and its coalition partners are urging House leaders to move quickly so small businesses can spend less time tracking down refunds and resolving routine tax issues.
Read the full letter here.