AOC, Deputy Treasury Secretary Advocate Free IRS Tool at Casa Yurumein, Urging New Yorkers to Act Before 2024 Tax Deadline!

On April 5, 2024, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo visited Casa Yurumein, a Garífuna cultural center in The Bronx, to promote the free IRS Direct File program. The initiative aims to assist qualified New Yorkers save time and money throughout tax season.

The Garífuna community in The Bronx, along with representatives from organizations like the Central American Black Organization and Hondurans Against AIDS, highlighted the benefits of the IRS Direct File option for taxpayers.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed the difficulties that people have when using private corporations to e-file their taxes, citing unexpected fees and delays. She applauded the Direct File pilot program for eliminating the middlemen and allowing millions of Americans to file their taxes directly with the IRS. Ocasio-Cortez encouraged New York citizens with minor tax needs to use the free tool before the 2024 Tax Deadline.

Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo praised President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act for allowing millions of Americans to submit their taxes for free and in a simple manner directly with the IRS. Adeyemo underscored the significance of optimizing refunds and noted that the Direct File application walks taxpayers through the procedure step by step. He encouraged New Yorkers and Americans in the 11 participating states to check directfile.irs.gov to see if they are eligible to save time and money.

Representative Ocasio-Cortez took a proactive approach and presented a live Direct File webinar on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, to demonstrate how to use the software properly.

Direct File, an easy-to-use platform, allows roughly one-third of taxpayers in 12 participating states, including an estimated 2.8 million New York taxpayers, to file their taxes for free directly with the IRS for the first time. New Yorkers can check their eligibility and file their taxes online at directfile.irs.gov.