Already more vulnerable to the coronavirus than the rest of the population, senior citizens and the disabled are being told by the IRS that they must file a tax return to receive a stimulus check, a clear roadblock by President Donald Trump to delay millions of Americans the money they desperately need.
The CARES Act recently passed by Congress and signed by Trump specifically gives the IRS the power to use Social Security Administration (SSA) data to distribute payments to people who did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019. But Trump’s IRS announced guidelines that forces them to jump through hoops instead if they want their stimulus check, a move that will cause delays and further hardships on America’s most vulnerable part of the population.
“This is outrageous,” Social Security Works President Nancy Altman said in a statement. “The $1200 payments could easily be added automatically to the benefits these people already receive every month.”
“Instead, the Trump administration is throwing up an unnecessary barrier that will make it harder for seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans to get the payments they desperately need,” Altman continued. “In the middle of a pandemic to which they are most vulnerable, the groups can’t afford any delay.”
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Adding further complications to the situation, seniors face difficulty e-filing the forms, according to Huffington Post journalist Arthur Delaney:
The emails keep coming. “went to turbo tax, jumped through all the hoops, got to end to be told can’t e-file. No way to print them, and everything closed because of state mandate.”
— Arthur Delaney (@ArthurDelaneyHP) April 1, 2020
And so, on top of having to file unnecessary paperwork, they can’t send it in by a means that allows them to not leave their homes during a pandemic.
Center on Budget and Policy senior director Chuck Marr blasted the Treasury Department for engaging in these dirty tricks.
“Requiring seniors and people with disabilities who receive Form SSA-1099 (the annual Social Security benefits statement) to file a tax return is unnecessary,” Marr wrote. “The federal government already has all of the information it needs… Likely more than 15 million Social Security recipients who currently don’t file tax returns and aren’t otherwise required to do so would have to file if Treasury doesn’t use its authority to get those people payments automatically.”
“The Trump administration must reverse course immediately and make a clear public statement that all Social Security beneficiaries, SSI recipients, and veterans receiving pensions will get their $1200 payments without filing a tax return,” Altman demanded.
Americans across the country are struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic. No one should have to worry about their finances at a time like this, which is why the Trump administration should stop trying to keep seniors, the disabled and veterans from getting their money. It’s their tax dollars, too, and they are entitled to it far more than corporations. If Trump actually cared about these Americans, the IRS would never have issued such callous guidelines.
UPDATE:
Since publishing this post, Mnuchin has backtracked on his original position as a result of pressure from elderly Americans as well as Senators and now says that recipients of Social Security do not need to file a tax return to receive their stimulus checks. You can read the report here.
Featured image via screen capture
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