AARP Massachusetts Urges Legislature to Extend State Tax Deadline

The following statement was released March 25:

AARP MASSACHUSETTS STATE DIRECTOR MIKE FESTA URGES LEGISLATURE TO EXTEND STATE TAX DEADLINE

“On behalf of the 775,000 AARP Massachusetts members and their families, we urge you to extend the Massachusetts income tax filing deadline until July 15, 2020 to align with the federal government extension.

At the federal level, AARP endorsed S.3535 to delay the federal filing deadline because of the threat of coronavirus; the need to follow public health directives to avoid public places, even as many Americans rely on tax preparation services; and to synchronize the tax filing and tax payment deadlines.

Delaying the state income tax filing deadline will help prevent further spread of the coronavirus by ensuring that individuals who need in-person assistance to file their taxes do not seek it at this time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, older individuals are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. In addition, separate deadlines for filing and paying state and federal income taxes will create undue confusion and anxiety among taxpayers during an already stressful crisis.

AARP has received an enormous number of calls from people who are not sure if the state and federal tax filing deadlines have moved along with the tax payment deadline. Synchronizing these deadlines just makes good sense.

We believe that deferring tax payments at this time is an important avenue to provide immediate financial relief to individuals. We also agree that anyone who chooses to file a state income tax return now in order to receive a refund should be able to do so. Refunds will also be an important source of financial relief in this time. An extension of the filing deadline should not prevent anyone who wants to file a return from doing so.

Thank you for your effort to promote financial relief, public health, and peace of mind through this challenging time.”