The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has expressed its support for four bipartisan bills aimed at enhancing transparency and fairness for taxpayers.
These bills recently featured in Senate discussions.
The Electronic Filing and Payment Fairness Act, one of the endorsed bills, proposes the application of the “mailbox rule” to electronic tax submissions.
This change would allow the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to acknowledge electronic payments and documents on the submission date rather than when they are received or reviewed.
In a letter to the House of Representatives, the AICPA said that it views this as a positive step towards simplifying the submission process and protecting taxpayers from potential penalties.
Another bill, the Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act (FRNDA), seeks to expedite tax relief following natural disasters.
Currently, federal disaster declarations, which can be delayed, are required before the IRS can offer tax relief.
The FRNDA would enable the IRS to grant tax relief immediately after a state-level disaster declaration and would extend the mandatory federal filing extension from 60 to 120 days, giving taxpayers more time to file after a disaster.
The Disaster related Extension of Deadlines Act (DREDA) aims to provide equal treatment for disaster victims in terms of tax refunds or credits.
It proposes an extension of the filing period by the length of the disaster relief postponement, ensuring that affected taxpayers have the same opportunities as those unaffected by disasters.
AICPA Tax Policy & Advocacy vice president Melanie Lauridsen “The AICPA has long supported these proposals and will continue to work to advance comprehensive legislation that enhances IRS operations and improves the taxpayer experience.
“We are pleased to work closely with each of these Representatives on common-sense reforms that will benefit taxpayers, tax practitioners and tax administration and we’re encouraged by their passage in the House. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress to improve the taxpayer experience.”
Earlier in April 2025, the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) issued a clarification on the standard for financial statement preparation within client advisory services (CAS) engagements.
The Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS) No. 27 addresses the applicability of AR-C Section 70 to financial statements prepared as part of a consulting services engagement, providing further guidance to accountancy professionals.
