Concord Monitor: Shaheen and Ayotte to IRS: Provide Paper Tax Forms to Public

News Article

By Iain Wilson

A decrease in the number of available paper tax forms has caught the attention of the state's congressional delegation.

U.S. Sens. Kelly Ayotte and Jeanne Shaheen introduced a resolution yesterday urging the Internal Revenue Service to provide taxpayers with printed materials needed to file their taxes correctly and on time.

The resolution was in response to a decision by the IRS to cut back on mailing tax forms, including its Publication 17, a popular guide that provides instructions for most people filing taxes. The IRS recently stopped broad distribution of the printed manual unless requested and paid for by people preparing their taxes.

The cutback has been felt at libraries, traditionally a popular place to get the forms. The resolution, introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, urges the IRS to provide tax materials to public libraries and facilities.

"With almost twenty percent of Granite Staters personally filing paper returns, the IRS' decision not to provide printed tax forms defies common sense and places an undue burden on low-income and elderly taxpayers in our state," Ayotte said, in a statement.

The IRS needs to take extra care to provide the tax information to our seniors and those with limited internet access, Shaheen said.

"Many Americans are still accustomed to filing hard copies of their taxes, and the IRS should be doing everything it can to make the filing process as easy as possible," she said, in a statement.

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