Shapiro, Harris VP contender, has tax filing event with Yellen

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Josh Shapiro speaks at his swearing in as Governor of Pennsylvania at the State Capitol Building on January 17, 2023 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Mark Makela | Getty Images

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will join Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to announce that Pennsylvania, a key election battleground, is the next state to get access to the Internal Revenue Service‘s new free tax filing system.

With Harris set to select her running mate some time in the next 10 days, the event will offer Shapiro an opportunity for to co-sign the Biden-Harris economic agenda as he jockeys to become Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

“Taxpayers across the country have had to pay for-profit companies hundreds of dollars a year to file their taxes,” Yellen plans to say at an event in Philadelphia, according to an excerpt of her prepared remarks. “The Inflation Reduction Act has enabled us to change this.”

Pennsylvania House Democrats Brendan Boyle and Mary Gay Scanlon will also attend the event.

Shapiro is on a narrowing short list in Harris’ veepstakes, along with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper took himself out of the running Monday night.

For Harris, the popular Pennsylvania governor could help to deliver a key swing state. His well-articulated stump speeches and high-dollar donor connections could also be assets to the Harris campaign as she sprints to Election Day in less than 100 days.

On Sunday, Shapiro is set to attend a lunch with big-ticket Democratic donors in the Hamptons, CNBC reported Monday.

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen speaks during the Financial Stability Oversight Council Conference on Artificial Intelligence & Financial Stability at the U.S. Treasury Department on June 06, 2024 in Washington, DC. During her remarks Yellen spoke on the future impact of artificial intelligence on the economy. 

Anna Moneymaker  | Getty Images

The Direct File system ran as a pilot in 12 states during the 2024 tax filing season. According to Yellen, over 140,000 taxpayers used it, saving them $5.6 million in federal filing fees and issuing them $90 million in tax refunds.

The Direct File system is set to become available in all 50 states starting in 2025. The IRS currently partners with a host of private tax companies through its Free File program to provide free tax filing to some Americans.

The IRS has regularly been a point of contention in Capitol Hill budget conversations as Democrats say the agency has been underfunded while some Republicans view it as a pocket of overspending.

“The Internal Revenue Service has been underfunded, which means that taxpayers have not gotten the support they deserve,” Yellen will say.

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