NY State Senate Bill 2017-S70

Senate Bill S70

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Directs the department of taxation and finance to create and implement an online program which will enable New York state taxpayers to electronically file income tax returns free of charge

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Investigations And Government Operations Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to investigations and government operations
Jan 04, 2017	referred to investigations and government operations

2017-S70 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A5203
Current Committee:: Senate Investigations And Government Operations
Law Section:: Taxation
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S4570, A6766
2015-2016: S495, A945
2019-2020: S11, A825
2021-2022: S693, A1555
2023-2024: S3256, A599

2017-S70 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of taxation and finance to create and implement an online program which will enable each New York state taxpayer to prepare and electronically file his or her federal and state income tax returns free of charge.

2017-S70 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S70

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act directing the department of taxation and finance to create and
implement an online program which will enable each New York state
taxpayer to prepare and electronically file his or her federal and
state income tax returns free of charge

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section One of the bill states that the department of taxation and
finance is authorized and directed to create and implement an online
program which will enable each New York State taxpayer to prepare and
electronically file his or her federal and state income tax returns
free of charge, regardless of the taxpayer's income level. The program
shall be made available to all New York State taxpayers in the
department's website no later than one hundred eighty days following
the effective date of this act.

 EXISTING LAW :

New law

 JUSTIFICATION :

This legislation shall direct the New York State Department of
Taxation and Finance to create an online program for all New York
State taxpayers to prepare and file their federal and state income tax
returns for free. Currently, there are a number of different
for-profit companies offering so-called "Free File," but they often
include hidden fees, and only taxpayers within certain income ranges
are eligible. Many years into the digital age, our government is
entirely capable of offering free online tax preparation and
electronic filing without forcing the taxpayer to be duped into using
possibly dubious private online tax preparation services.

It is a solid and fundamental principal that taxes are what we pay for
civilized society, and most New Yorkers are proud to help pay for
essential government programs like public education and food safety
regulation. Yet there is no justification for the fees charged by
for-profit tax prep and e-filing companies, which serve as obsolete
intermediaries in the digital age. Countless government services can
be easily accessed on government websites-from registering to vote to
applying for public benefits to making complaints about potholes-and
there is no reason that filing tax returns should be any different.
We don't force people making more than $57,000 to pay a private
company for help registering with the Selective Service System, and
the State of New York should not allow it for the filing of taxes
either.

Government should be embracing technology, not using it as a way to
direct people to the services of for-profit companies.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

S.495 of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Investigations & Government
Operations
A.945 of 2015-2016 (Rosenthal): Died in Ways & Means
S.4570 of 2013-2014 (Hoylman): Died in Investigations
A.6766 of 2013-2014 (Rosenthal): Died in Ways & Means

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To be determined

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.

2017-S70 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    70
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
   ment Operations
 
 AN ACT directing the department of taxation and finance  to  create  and
   implement  an  online  program  which  will enable each New York state
   taxpayer to prepare and electronically file his  or  her  federal  and
   state income tax returns free of charge
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The department of taxation and finance  is  authorized  and
 directed  to  create  and  implement an online program which will enable
 each New York state taxpayer to prepare and electronically file  his  or
 her  federal  and state income tax returns free of charge, regardless of
 the taxpayer's income level. This program shall be made available to all
 New York state taxpayers on the department's website no later  than  one
 hundred eighty days following the effective date of this act.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05096-01-7

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