WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement on H. Res. 673, introduced by Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI), which urges the IRS to provide printed copies of the Tax Instruction Guide for Individuals (Publication 17) to U.S. taxpayers. The IRS stopped providing libraries or post offices with the booklet for distribution and discontinued mailing Publication 17 even to taxpayers who filed using paper-format in the previous year. The only place to find the instructions on paper is to purchase a hard copy through the Government Printing Office for $23.

“It is hard enough to file taxes without the added difficulty of locating the forms and instructions online. Millions of Americans, many of whom are in rural communities or low income households, lack access to broadband at home and 45 percent of seniors do not own a computer. Publication 17 is a basic taxpayer service that should be available in multiple formats and easily accessible to all, including computer savvy millennials who are more likely to file their taxes on paper than any other age group.

“AF&PA thanks Congressman Glenn Grothman for working to ensure that taxpayers have access to tax filing instructions in ways all people can access, which includes paper. We urge other members of Congress to join him in making sure the IRS fulfills its responsibility of providing tax instructions in an easily accessible way.”