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Congress and the states should extend the EITC to workers with low incomes who have no dependents regardless of age, including those ages 65 and older, provided they are not dependents themselves.
Policymakers should retain estate and inheritance taxes as important components of our tax structure.
Federal and state estate and inheritance taxes should affect only the largest transfers.
Motor fuel taxes should be indexed for inflation and increased as necessary to fund transportation infrastructure and services.
Excise taxes on individual commodities, such as tobacco or alcohol, should at least keep pace with inflation. One way to do this is by levying them on an ad valorem basis.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the states should increase support for taxpayer assistance programs such as the Tax Counseling for the Elderly and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program
The IRS and state revenue departments should increase their efforts to make tax forms—including electronic forms, publications, and correspondence—more accessible and understandable.
The government should simplify the recovery of money withheld each year and reduce the need for older individuals who do not owe income tax to file tax returns.
The IRS should continue encouraging taxpayers to file electronically but maintain the option of paper filing without penalty.
Enforcement measures should be applied equitably across income classes and types of taxpayers.
The IRS should increase its audit rate and raise penalties for noncompliance.