Josh Shapiro speaks at his swearing in as Governor of Pennsylvania at the State Capitol Building on January 17, 2023 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro joined Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday 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.
“Today, and thanks to Governor Shapiro, Pennsylvania joins the growing list of states that have committed to join Direct File,” Yellen said at the Philadelphia event. “Let me congratulate Governor Shapiro on this additional step forward.”
Shapiro returned the praise.
“We believe the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should be a place where everyone has the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed and thanks to the Biden-Harris administration and the contributions of Secretary Yellen, we are well on our way to ensuring that,” Shapiro said during remarks following Yellen.
Pennsylvania House Democrats Brendan Boyle and Mary Gay Scanlon also attended the event.
Shapiro is on a narrowing shortlist 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.
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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. That means that taxpayers have not gotten the support they deserve,” Yellen said.