Note: MACPA President and CEO Tom Hood sent the following letter to Maryland’s congressional legislators on Saturday, March 14.

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I am writing to ask that you contact the Treasury Department and the IRS to urge that they immediately release specific details on pending tax filing and payment relief.

On March 11, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and President Trump announced that the Administration would instruct the IRS to extend the tax filing season for certain individuals and businesses affected by the coronavirus. Following those announcements, the president invoked the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to declare a national emergency. An emergency declaration may unlock tax filing and late payment relief for individuals and businesses. Extending certain filing deadlines along with payment and interest relief are critical to alleviate the uncertainty about this year’s tax filing season.

The MACPA and the AICPA has publicly urged and been in close communication with the Treasury Department and the IRS to provide filing, payment, and interest relief to all taxpayers in light of the uncertainty and challenges caused by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While I appreciate the Administration’s public support to the taxpaying public, I am greatly concerned that the Treasury Department and the IRS have yet to provide specific details on how relief will be administered and who it might cover. Immediate, clear guidance and specific details on tax filing and payment relief are critically needed to help tax practitioners and their clients.

Relief for all taxpayers is desperately needed in light of the uncertainty and challenges caused by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tax practitioners and our clients anxiously await details from the Administration in the midst of this fast-moving emergency situation.

Sincerely,
Tom Hood, CPA
President and CEO
Maryland Association of CPAs