By John L. Micek
masslive.com
(TNS)
Taxes are hard. Math is harder. But the way U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., see it, it shouldn’t have to be that way.
A bipartisan measure that would make it easier for Americans to fix mistakes on their tax returns is headed for President Donald Trump’s desk.
The IRS MATH Act, as it’s known, cleared the Senate unanimously on Tuesday, after previously winning approval in the House of Representatives on a voice vote in April, the two lawmakers said in a joint statement.
U.S. Reps. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, shepherded the bill through the lower chamber.
The bill that’s headed to Trump’s desk would require the IRS to provide taxpayers with a plain-English explanation of where they’d make a math mistake on their tax returns, the two lawmakers said.
And they’d have a 60-day window to fix it.
“No one should have to spend a fortune on a lawyer or hours trying to figure out what went wrong on their taxes when the IRS already knows the answer,” Warren said. “Our bill is a common-sense bipartisan solution to protect taxpayers and help put more money in their pockets.”
Cassidy offered a similar sentiment.
“Americans should have every opportunity to keep their hard-earned income,” he said in the joint statement. “If the IRS thinks someone made an honest mistake filing their taxes, the IRS should be clear about how to correct it.”
Advocates hailed the bill, calling it a long-overdue step to improve transparency when people file their taxes.
“This bipartisan legislation enhances transparency by requiring the IRS to provide specific explanations when changes are made to taxpayers’ returns, strengthening the relationship between citizens and government through better data communication practices,” the advocacy group, The Data Foundation, said when the bill cleared the House.
Photo credit: wingedwolf/iStock
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©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Tags: Congress, Income Taxes, IRS, Legislation, tax returns, Taxes
