OPINION

Don’t make tax season harder for Arizona small businesses

BY TERRI KIMBLE

Arizonan Guest Writer

Tax season can be a challenging time for Arizona small business owners who help power our local economies. After all, dealing with the IRS can be frustrating even under the best of circumstances. But this tax season is expected to be even more dif�icult than usual due to a massive backlog of over 24 million returns that the IRS has yet to process from last year.

Given the challenges that Arizona small businesses have faced over the last several years, we should be �inding ways to make it easier – not harder – for them to get through the upcoming tax season.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers in Washington are considering a proposal that would substantially expand the reach of the IRS, limit taxpayers’ control over their own �ilings and make tax season even more frustrating for businesses and individuals alike. If passed, this proposal would give the IRS unprecedented new responsibilities and create a government-run tax �iling system. This would mean that the IRS wouldn’t just determine how much you owe in taxes, the government would also be �iling your return for you.

This raises several important issues. First, the IRS shouldn’t be the collector of your taxes and your accountant, that’s a clear con�lict of interest. There’s a good reason that so many in our community turn to trained and trusted tax professionals every year – because they �ight to make sure Arizonans get every cent they are owed.

They also get personalized service from accountants that they have come to know and trust with their family’s hardearned money.

If supporters have their way, taxpayers would have to trust that a bureaucrat in Washington would do the same due diligence for them – along with millions of other Americans – when they are already stretched to the limits before this tax season even starts? That scheme is a recipe for disaster.

Business owners know that it’s critical to excel at your core services before trying to expand those services. Currently, the IRS is far from exceling. If you call the IRS, there’s only a 1 in 50 chance that you will actually get through to a representative. What’s more, even the agency’s own internal watchdog said in January that the IRS is currently ‘in crisis.’ Now is hardly the time to be adding a massive new service that could further delay Arizonans’ refunds.

Lastly, a new study shows that the resources needed to develop, test, update, and protect such a system at the IRS would cost as much – if not more – than it did to establish the healthcare.gov website. To date, that government-run site has cost taxpayers over $21 billion and been plagued with consistent technical dif�iculties and privacy concerns.

At the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, we believe in helping to create a nurturing environment for the economic engines of our community. That means making sure policies in Washington don’t create additional and unnecessary challenges for Arizona taxpayers especially when they will impact the livelihood and �inancial circumstances of millions of Arizonians.

On behalf of the hardworking business owners in Chandler and their customers, I hope that Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly will stop this misguided proposal before it’s too late.

Terri Kimble is the president and CEO of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Vote for legislators who care about public schools

In multiple surveys, well over 70% of Arizonans agree we need a robust K-12 education system for all students. But what have legislators like our State Senator JD Mesnard of Chandler chosen to do? Repeatedly work to move our public taxpayer dollars to unaccountable private schools and also to cut taxes, both of which reduce the funds available for fully funding our public schools.

Then, underperforming schools are criticized for less than stellar test scores. (Private schools’ performance? Who knows?) There’s also a claim that they have put a lot of money into school funding, and anyway, “You can’t just keep throwing money at the problem.” While it’s true that money won’t resolve all the challenges facing our schools, there are problems – like woefully underpaid teachers, crumbling buildings, out of date technology, and many others – that ONLY money can remedy.

But that’s not focused on. One wonders if they actually want the next generation of Arizonans to be less educated than their parents. That is harmful for Arizona and plainly unacceptable to most of us. Election season is coming.

Remember Mr. Mesnard and other candidates who say they value education yet support more vouchers for private schools and cuts to public education … and vote instead for someone who supports public schools.

- Judith Simons

Congress must make apps market fairer to public

Hopefully we will �inally see Congress take action to make the app markets that we all use fairer and more affordable. I remember reading about the Open App Markets Act in an Op/Ed back in the fall (I think it was by Rep. Jeff Weninger). I am happy to see it moving forward, as the Senate Judiciary passed the bill out of committee with a super majority. This legislation, that would rein in the tech giants who have been using draconian and monopolistic methods to control their app stores and make it hard to get an app into the store, and even harder to turn a pro�it once they are available there.

Currently, Apple and Google require the app developers use their payment system for in app purchases, and then charge them 30% to do so. When Apple and Google have a similar app, this makes it practically impossible for the small app developer to compete in the market. Apple and Google also promote their apps over those of independent developers.

This bill needs to be passed to create a level playing �ield, foster innovation, and protect us, the consumers, from price gouging.

-James A. Smith

Got News? Got News? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.comContact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com