,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #die  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #e1 #bjac  
,mr4 ,roskam 7for himself and ,mr4      
,kind7 introduced the following bill2   
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,ways and ,means  ,a ,,bill  ,to make   
the ,internal ,revenue ,service ,free   
,file ,program permanent4  #a4 ,short   
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,free ,file ,program ,act of #bjac4  #b4
 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the     
following3  7#a7 ,the ,internal ,revenue
 ,service 7,,irs7 ,free ,file program as
 established by the ,,irs pursuant to   
public rulemaking and set forth in the  
,federal ,register1 ,vol4 #fg1 ,no4     
#bac1 ,monday1 ,november #d1 #bjjb1     
pages #fgbdg-fgbea1 and in implementing 
agreements and governing rules and      
requirements between the ,,irs and the  
tax software and electronic industry in 
#bjjb1 #bjje1 and #bjji1 has been       
successful and significant in the       
efforts of the ,federal ,government to  

increase the electronic filing of       
individual income tax returns4  7#b7 ,by
 the end of the current tax return      
filing season around #dj1jjj1jjj        
,federal individual income tax returns  
will have been prepared and filed       
electronically for free under the ,,irs 
,free ,file program4  7#c7 ,the ,,irs   
,free ,file program offers ,federal     
individual income tax return preparation
 and electronic filing services to more 
than #gj percent of taxpayers1          
approximately #ih1jjj1jjj taxpayers at  
the end of the current tax filing       
period1 at no cost to the taxpayers or  
to the ,federal ,government from tax    
software and electronic filing companies
 participating in the program1 currently
 #af companies4  7#d7 ,by the end of the
 current tax return filing season1 it is
 estimated that the ,,irs ,free ,file   
program will have saved taxpayers       
approximately #a1aaj1jjj1jjj and will   
have saved the ,federal ,government     
hundreds of millions of dollars4  7#e7  

,under the ,,irs ,free ,file program1   
the ,,irs and the companies             
participating in the program have made  
substantial improvements to the program 
to provide better products and services 
to eligible taxpayers4  7#f7 ,the ,,irs 
,free ,file program must be maintained  
in order to reach and maintain          
,congress' goal as set forth in the     
,internal ,revenue ,service             
,restructuring and ,reform ,act of #aiih
 of having #hj percent of all ,federal  
individual income tax returns filed     
electronically4  7#g7 ,the ,,irs and the
 participating tax preparation companies
 have integrated the ,,irs ,free ,file  
program with ,state tax systems to      
enable taxpayers to also file their     
,state tax returns in conjunction with  
their ,,irs ,free ,file filings4  7#h7  
,twenty-two ,states and the ,district of
 ,columbia now operate a ,free ,file    
program patterned after the ,,irs ,free 
,file program again at no cost to the   
,state taxpayers or the ,state          

governments4  7#i7 ,at the end of the   
current tax return filing season1 it is 
estimated that the ,free ,file ,states  
will have saved hundreds of millions of 
dollars collectively4  #c4 ,internal    
,revenue ,service ,free ,file ,program  
7a7 ,the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 or
 his delegate1 is authorized and        
directed to continue to implement and   
operate the ,internal ,revenue ,service 
7,,irs7 ,free ,file program as          
established by the ,,irs in the public  
rulemaking of ,november #d1 #bjjb1 and  
subsequent agreements and governing     
rules established pursuant thereto in   
#bjjb1 #bjje1 and #bjji4  7b7 ,the ,,irs
 ,free ,file program shall continue to  
provide free online individual income   
tax preparation and electronic filing   
services to lower income1 working poor1 
underprivileged1 disadvantaged1 or      
underserved populations that comprise   
#gj percent of the lowest income        
taxpayers4  7c7 ,the ,internal ,revenue 
,service shall continue to work         

cooperatively with the private sector   
technology industry through the ,free   
,file ,alliance in providing free       
individual income tax preparation and   
electronic filing services and shall not
 compete with the private sector in     
providing these services to taxpayers1  
nor acquire1 develop1 or deploy enabling
 systems to duplicate or replace private
 tax preparation services4  7d7 ,the    
,secretary of the ,treasury1 or his     
delegate1 may not establish1 develop1   
sponsor1 acquire1 or make available     
individual income tax preparation       
software or electronic filing services  
that are offered under the ,,irs ,free  
,file program1 except through the ,,irs 
,free ,file program1 the ,internal      
,revenue ,service's ,taxpayer           
,assistance ,centers1 ,tax ,counseling  
for the ,elderly1 and volunteer income  
tax assistance 7,,vita7 programs4