Latest news with #GroundworkCollaborative
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Congressman Says 'Nobody Asked For The IRS To Be Americans' Tax Preparer,' Applauds Efforts To Shut Down The IRS Direct File Program
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) is celebrating the House-passed bill that would shut down the Internal Revenue Service Direct File program, a free federal tool that allows Americans to file taxes online without paying private companies. 'Nobody asked for the IRS to be Americans' tax preparer, filer, and auditor,' Smith posted on X on June 24. 'The House-passed One, Big, Beautiful Bill puts an end to the IRS Direct File Program.'Don't Miss: GoSun's breakthrough rooftop EV charger already has 2,000+ units reserved — become an investor in this $41.3M clean energy brand today. Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. Despite Smith's remarks, the Direct File program has received broad support from taxpayers and voters across the political spectrum. According to a Data for Progress poll conducted in April, 82% of likely voters said they support expanding Direct File to all Americans. That includes 80% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 81% of Democrats. The IRS launched Direct File using Inflation Reduction Act funds. It started as a small pilot in 12 states during the 2024 tax season and expanded to 25 states in 2025, serving 32 million eligible users. The tool was described as secure, simple, and always free. Kitty Richards, senior fellow at the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic policy group, said Direct File was 'a crystal clear example of government efficiency at work. Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay exorbitant fees to predatory for-profit companies just to file their taxes.' According to Groundwork, IRS data and user surveys also backed the program's popularity. In 2024, 90% of surveyed users rated their experience as excellent or above average, and most reported filing in under an hour. By their estimates, Direct File saved taxpayers $5.6 million in fees during its first full rollout, and every dollar invested returned $160 in savings. Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100. When news broke out in April that the Trump administration plans to discontinue Direct File for the 2026 tax season, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) called Direct File a 'massive success' that removed unnecessary middlemen. He accused President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of 'robbing regular American families to pay back lobbyists that spend millions to make tax filing more expensive and more difficult.' Staff working on the program were reportedly told weeks earlier that they would no longer be needed. The Department of Government Efficiency, once led by Tesla CEO (NASDAQ:TSLA) Elon Musk, reportedly played a role in weakening the IRS program. Musk posted in February that the Direct File development team had been 'deleted.' Meanwhile, the program critics like David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance argued that the IRS overstepped by building Direct File without explicit approval. 'The IRS created Direct File without congressional approval,' Williams wrote in April. 'In fact, the $15M from the Inflation Reduction Act was supposed to be for a study. Instead, the IRS built the software.' Still, many policy advocates and voters say the program filled a real need and made tax season less stressful. See Next: $100k in assets? Maximize your retirement and cut down on taxes: Schedule your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation. Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can earn passive income with just $ Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Congressman Says 'Nobody Asked For The IRS To Be Americans' Tax Preparer,' Applauds Efforts To Shut Down The IRS Direct File Program originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Congressman Says 'Nobody Asked For The IRS To Be Americans' Tax Preparer,' Applauds Efforts To Shut Down The IRS Direct File Program
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) is celebrating the House-passed bill that would shut down the Internal Revenue Service Direct File program, a free federal tool that allows Americans to file taxes online without paying private companies. 'Nobody asked for the IRS to be Americans' tax preparer, filer, and auditor,' Smith posted on X on June 24. 'The House-passed One, Big, Beautiful Bill puts an end to the IRS Direct File Program.'Don't Miss: GoSun's breakthrough rooftop EV charger already has 2,000+ units reserved — become an investor in this $41.3M clean energy brand today. Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. Despite Smith's remarks, the Direct File program has received broad support from taxpayers and voters across the political spectrum. According to a Data for Progress poll conducted in April, 82% of likely voters said they support expanding Direct File to all Americans. That includes 80% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 81% of Democrats. The IRS launched Direct File using Inflation Reduction Act funds. It started as a small pilot in 12 states during the 2024 tax season and expanded to 25 states in 2025, serving 32 million eligible users. The tool was described as secure, simple, and always free. Kitty Richards, senior fellow at the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic policy group, said Direct File was 'a crystal clear example of government efficiency at work. Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay exorbitant fees to predatory for-profit companies just to file their taxes.' According to Groundwork, IRS data and user surveys also backed the program's popularity. In 2024, 90% of surveyed users rated their experience as excellent or above average, and most reported filing in under an hour. By their estimates, Direct File saved taxpayers $5.6 million in fees during its first full rollout, and every dollar invested returned $160 in savings. Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100. When news broke out in April that the Trump administration plans to discontinue Direct File for the 2026 tax season, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) called Direct File a 'massive success' that removed unnecessary middlemen. He accused President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of 'robbing regular American families to pay back lobbyists that spend millions to make tax filing more expensive and more difficult.' Staff working on the program were reportedly told weeks earlier that they would no longer be needed. The Department of Government Efficiency, once led by Tesla CEO (NASDAQ:TSLA) Elon Musk, reportedly played a role in weakening the IRS program. Musk posted in February that the Direct File development team had been 'deleted.' Meanwhile, the program critics like David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance argued that the IRS overstepped by building Direct File without explicit approval. 'The IRS created Direct File without congressional approval,' Williams wrote in April. 'In fact, the $15M from the Inflation Reduction Act was supposed to be for a study. Instead, the IRS built the software.' Still, many policy advocates and voters say the program filled a real need and made tax season less stressful. See Next: $100k in assets? Maximize your retirement and cut down on taxes: Schedule your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation. Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can earn passive income with just $ Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Congressman Says 'Nobody Asked For The IRS To Be Americans' Tax Preparer,' Applauds Efforts To Shut Down The IRS Direct File Program originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Bloomberg
06-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Fed is in 'Really Difficult' Position, Says Kitty Richards
Kitty Richards, senior strategic advisor at the Groundwork Collaborative, reacts to the May jobs numbers and what it means for the overall labor market and the Fed's path forward. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Largest cuts ‘in history:' Local impact of potential cuts to SNAP benefits in Trump bill
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – President Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' aimed at cutting taxes and federal spending will also include cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), a program hundreds of thousands of Georgia households rely on to feed their families. The legislation passed in the United States House of Representatives over a week ago. The way the bill is currently written, thousands of Georgians would no longer meet the federal requirements to receive SNAP benefits. 'I stay home because I'm disabled, but even with the food stamps I get, I'm still having to pay out of pocket,' Heather Nelson, whose family receives SNAP said. Right now, anyone who does not work but has children under the age of eighteen is eligible to receive benefits. Under Trump's bill, those who do not work would only be eligible to receive SNAP if their children are under eight. 'They're still growing. They're actually hungrier than after that age. So, they're eating more food than normal, especially in summer. So, they're home all the time,' Nelson said. 'Cutting after the age of eight, I think that's crazy.' The second major change would be an increase in the age requirement for SNAP for older adults. People who don't or can't work wouldn't be eligible to receive SNAP until 64, instead of the current age of 54. 'It takes about 300 billion dollars out of SNAP, according to the non-partisan congressional budget office. This is the largest cut to the food assistance program in history,' Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, an economic policy think tank in Washington, D.C, said. According to Jacquez, Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' shifts some of the cost for SNAP benefits to the states, which could lead to major cuts to the program at the state level. 'These are generally payments that have always been made by the federal government, and they're instituted in an escalating penalty type of way,' Jacquez said. 'Instead of having to actually make the outlays, the choice that these states are going to make is either to cut benefits back or opt out of the SNAP program entirely.' Trump's bill will go to the U.S. Senate next and it could be changed or rewritten in any number of ways during that process. House Republicans said their goal is to get the bill passed in both chambers and signed into law by July 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
From dishes to dresses, the household items most likely to come from China
From dishes to dresses, the household items most likely to come from China Show Caption Hide Caption US and China agree to trade deal that will lower tariff levels The U.S. and China agreed to a trade deal after face-to-face meetings between senior economic officials. Amid the tariff tumult of recent weeks, perhaps you have found yourself pulling random plates and mugs from your shelves and turning them over to learn their country of origin. Quite often, the answer is China. China ranks as America's third-largest source of imported goods in 2025, according to Census data, with $103 billion in imports through March. In all of 2024, China ranked second, behind Mexico. President Trump's campaign of import tariffs has consumers spooked about looming price hikes on imports from around the globe. Many of the biggest fears, however, center on China. Trump enacted massive 145% import taxes on Chinese goods in April, then announced a trade deal on May 11 that slashed them to 30%, at least for now. But 30% is still a large number. If you've already taken a 'tariff tour,' strolling around your home, upending lamps and couch cushions to discover their provenance, then you already know how much we depend on products from China. 'This might be a bit of a wakeup call to where all of our stuff actually comes from,' said Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the progressive Groundwork Collaborative. If you haven't inventoried your household imports, then allow us to lead the tour. Here's how much household stuff comes from China A breathtaking share of our pots and pans, 90%, hail from China. A relatively small quotient of washers and dryers, 30%, originate there. But those figures understate the full scale of Chinese imports. 'Even products that seemingly have another country of origin embody significant content that originates from China,' said Adam Hersh, a senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. Here is a list of 11 common household items, showing what percentage of all imports came from China in 2024. The numbers were compiled using the U.S. International Trade Commission's DataWeb from official U.S. merchandise trade statistics published by the Department of Commerce. Dishes : 66% made in China. Next biggest source: Mexico. : 66% made in China. Next biggest source: Mexico. Pots and pans : 90% made in China. Next biggest source: India. : 90% made in China. Next biggest source: India. Utensils : 87% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. : 87% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. Refrigerators : 87% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. : 87% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. Televisions : 48% made in China. Next biggest source: Mexico. : 48% made in China. Next biggest source: Mexico. Couches : 43% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. : 43% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. Lamps : 48% made in China. Next biggest source: Mexico. : 48% made in China. Next biggest source: Mexico. Dresses : 40% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. : 40% made in China. Next biggest source: Vietnam. Toilets : 44% made in China. Leading source (47%): Mexico. : 44% made in China. Leading source (47%): Mexico. Vacuum cleaners : 35% made in China. Leading source (42%): Vietnam. : 35% made in China. Leading source (42%): Vietnam. Washer-dryers: 30% made in China. Next biggest source: South Korea. The current tariff deal between the United States and China is only good for 90 days, while the two nations negotiate. Where will tariff rates stand after that? Even some trade experts are reluctant to say. "That's the million-dollar question, right there," said Colin Grabow, an associate director at the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. "You get the sense that they're kind of making it up as they go." This story has been updated with additional information.
