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The American Institute of CPAs is calling on the Internal Revenue Service to extend the tax filing deadline along with the recent decision to extend the payment deadline.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced Tuesday that individuals would be allowed to defer up to $1 million in tax payments for up to 90 days.

The IRS released the formal notice on Wednesday.

"We encourage those Americans who can file their taxes to continue to file their taxes on April 15, because for many Americans, you will get tax refunds," he said Tuesday in a news conference.

If you owe a payment to the IRS, you can defer up to $1 million as an individual, Mnuchin said. "The reason we're doing $1 million is that covers lots of pass-throughs and small businesses and $10 million to corporations — interest free and penalty free for 90 days," he said.

Barry Melancon, president and CEO of AICPA, said that while the administration is allowing certain taxpayers to delay tax payments for 90 days and is providing interest and penalty relief, "unfortunately, this important payment relief does not apply to the filing of tax returns. The concern and confusion related to coronavirus is causing cities across the country to shut businesses down, and Treasury's recent decisions do not reflect the real-world difficulties tax practitioners and their clients are experiencing."

Melancon stated that "it is impossible for every taxpayer and their tax adviser to prepare returns in this environment."

Nearly 60% of all taxpayers turn to a tax practitioner to prepare and file their tax returns, "and individual and business tax filing deadlines are fast approaching," he said.

"Even the relatively simple process of filing an extension form requires calculations based on data and information from the taxpayer. Given the current environment, this extension process is impossible for many taxpayers."

He called on Treasury to act immediately to extend the April 15 filing deadline and provide "more clarity on the details of recent relief actions."

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Melanie Waddell

Melanie is senior editor and Washington bureau chief of ThinkAdvisor. Her ThinkAdvisor coverage zeros in on how politics, policy, legislation and regulations affect the investment advisory space. Melanie’s coverage has been cited in various lawmakers’ reports, letters and bills, and in the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule in 2023. In 2019, Melanie received an Honorable Mention, Range of Work by a Single Author award from @Folio. Melanie joined Investment Advisor magazine as New York bureau chief in 2000. She has been a columnist since 2002. She started her career in Washington in 1994, covering financial issues at American Banker. Since 1997, Melanie has been covering investment-related issues, holding senior editorial positions at American Banker publications in both Washington and New York. Briefly, she was content chief for Internet Capital Group’s EFinancialWorld in New York and wrote freelance articles for Institutional Investor. Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Towson University. She interned at The Baltimore Sun and its suburban edition.