Young’s BARCODE Efficiency Act would improve IRS tax return processing

To improve the efficient processing of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) paper tax returns, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on Jan. 25 offered a bipartisan bill that would implement technology such as 2-D barcodes to conserve resources, minimize processing errors, and reduce refund delays.

“Millions of Americans are forced to wait months — and sometimes years — for the IRS to process their tax returns,” Sen. Young said. “Our bipartisan bill will better serve taxpayers by improving the processing of paper returns, reducing errors, and requiring the IRS to operate more efficiently.”

Sen. Young cosponsored the Barcode Automation for Revenue Collection to Organize Disbursement and Enhance (BARCODE) Efficiency Act, S. 3660, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE). 

If enacted, S. 3660 would require electronically prepared tax returns to include a scannable code when submitted on paper, and require the use of optical character recognition technology for paper documents received by the IRS, according to the text of the bill.

“I’m proud to introduce the BARCODE Efficiency Act because this bill implements common-sense technology that will increase the efficiency of the IRS and make a big difference for millions of American taxpayers,” said Sen. Carper.

S. 3660 has been referred to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee for consideration.