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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday said the tax filing deadline has been moved from April 15 to July 15.
“We are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15,” Mnuchin wrote, adding that he is acting under President Donald Trump’s direction. “All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties.”
Hopefully, by the time the new deadline comes around, Trump told reporters at the White House, “we’ll have people getting back to their lives.”
Officials said people can still file based on the original deadline if they want tax refunds sooner.
Earlier in the week, the White House announced they were deferring tax payments for 90 days, but said Americans must file by April 15 amid the CCP virus pandemic.
The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
The announcement comes after lawmakers and workers in the tax filing industry called on Mnuchin to extend the filing deadline, not just the payment deadline.
On Wednesday, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released guidance on Wednesday that allows individuals and corporations to defer payments from April 15 to July 15.
At @realDonaldTrump’s direction, we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15. All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties.
— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) March 20, 2020
I encourage all taxpayers who may have tax refunds to file now to get your money.
— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) March 20, 2020
The White House coronavirus task force is slated to give an update on Friday on the pandemic, which so far has produced more than 10,000 domestic infections and around 200 deaths nationwide.
Meanwhile, talks between Republicans and Democrats on a $1 trillion assistance bill started on Capitol Hill on Friday, which will include a provision that directly sends money to American households. The current plan, according to reports, is that Americans who made less than $75,000 in 2019 could get a $1,200 check, with an additional $500 per child.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Calif.) said the package, proposed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is too focused on helping large businesses but not unemployed Americans.
“We are beginning to review Sen. McConnell’s proposal and on first reading, it is not at all pro-worker and instead puts corporations way ahead of workers,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Mnuchin, however, told reporters that after speaking with Pelosi, McConnell, and Schumer, that Congress needs to move quickly.
“We need to get this done Monday. The American public needs us to move forward,” Mnuchin said after leaving a meeting with Republicans in the Capitol. “Our objective is to have Congress pass legislation on Monday and have the president sign it.”
Trump signed the Defense Production Act—a Korean War-era law that compels U.S. industries to ramp up production of critical supplies and equipment—earlier this week.
Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
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