Washington, Jul 14 (EFE) .- Seven senators today asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to extend the deadline for the tax return of taxpayers who have not been able to obtain a tax credit for children due to delays in the procedures in the agency.
Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, led the group of lawmakers who urged IRS Director Charles Rettig to extend the deadline for taxpayers with an Individual Identification Number (ITIN).
Due to problems in the operation of the IRS, many taxpayers who have an ITIN have not been able to apply for the child tax credit.
“We are concerned that there may be numerous families who are hoping to receive the child tax credit, but have been unable to obtain it due to delays in processing the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number,” the senators’ letter states.
“To remedy this situation, we ask that you allow families who applied for an ITIN or renew their ITIN before April 15, 2022 to apply for and receive the tax credit if they file a return before or on October 15, 2022,” Add.
Since current law requires that an ITIN be issued before or on the same day as the tax filing deadline in order to claim the tax credit, families who did not receive their ITIN by April 15 despite applying on time they were unable to receive the tax benefit they needed to cover basic household needs.
According to the IRS, compared to the season before the COVID-19 pandemic, processing times for ITIN applications now take an average of three to four months, and 41 days for renewals.
The extension of the child tax credit is part of an economic stimulus plan adopted by the government of President Joe Biden in order to mitigate the impact of the covid 19 pandemic.
The credit consists of monthly payments of $250 to $300 per child, and according to the senators the first payment in July 2021 helped lift some three million children out of poverty and reduced the monthly child poverty rate from 15.8%. to 11.9%.
Other signatories of the letter are Democratic senators Catherine Cortez Masto, from Nevada; Ben Ray Luján, from New Mexico; Alex Padilla, from California; Chris Van Hollen of Maryland; Elizabeth Warren, from Massachusetts, and Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont.
(c) EFE Agency
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