Taxes have their own language. It is a too-often frustrating combination of legalese and political speak with numbers, from both Internal Revenue Code sections and tax provision income-related specifics, thrown in to clarify (or not) things.
When you taxpayers whose first language is not English must deal with the U.S. tax system, tax-speak can be unintelligible.
The Internal Revenue Service has long recognized that making it easier for all taxpayers to get the information they need is not just good customer service, but that it also literally pays off.
Some Democratic lawmakers also are making that point, as the Trump administration seeks to strip non-English material from all government agencies.
English only effort proceeding: Multilingual services are on the chopping block following Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14224 on March 1 designating English as the official language of the United States.
The order also revoked a longstanding prior order that had required agencies to develop plans to ensure those with limited English proficiency (LEP) can still access agency services.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has begun implementation of the English-only order. It issued memo July 14 to all federal agencies, saying that it would temporarily suspend LEP.gov and “all other public-facing materials related to language access for individuals with LEP.”
DoJ did say, however, that it would issue guidance within 180 days of the memo (which would be Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026) on circumstances where agencies should still offer multilingual assistance.
English-only potential tax cost: The Justice Department memo also said that any language changes are up to agency heads, who “shall make decisions as they deem necessary to fulfill their agencies’ mission and efficiently provide government services.”
This means, per Bondi’s memo, they “are not required to amend, remove, or otherwise stop production of all multilingual documents, products, or other services prepared or offered.”
However, the memo’s statement that agencies such as the IRS could continue to issue tax information in other languages isn’t good enough for some federal lawmakers. They want more reassurance that the use of multiple language translations and services won’t be scrapped.
House and Senate Democrats argue in a series of letters to Trump and key cabinet members that eliminating multilingual IRS resources could undermine the Executive Order’s ostensible goals of reducing administrative burdens and increasing “operational efficiencies.”
Specifically, from a financial perspective, the members of Congress say the move could literally cost the U.S. Treasury.
“Cutting multilingual resources will not save money; they will instead cost the U.S. significant revenue loss in unpaid taxes,” wrote 61 House Democrats in an Aug. 15 letter to Trump and Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
This is likely, they noted, because “when taxpayers cannot understand IRS forms, they are more likely to make mistakes or avoid filing altogether.”
The August letter was a follow-up to one House members sent April 11 expressing concerns about Trump’s English-only order.
Increased tax compliance difficulty for taxpayers not fluent in English was cited in that earlier letter, along with condemnation of the move to weaken language accessibility as a threat to other government services and individuals’ civil rights.
Senators issue same English-only warnings: On the other side of Capitol Hill, a group of 25 Senate Democrats sent their own Aug. 15 letter with similar concerns about elimination of multilingual tax services.
The Senate communication was delivered to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the current acting IRS commissioner.
The Senators cited the tax revenue implications of reducing LEP services, which include a multilingual toll-free telephone line, translation of IRS forms and notices, Schedule LEP, and the IRS.gov “Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant” tool for Spanish speakers.
These resources, they argue in the letter, “improved both voluntary tax compliance and service to America’s taxpayers.” Eliminating them, wrote the Senators, “would make it substantially more difficult for non-English-speaking individuals to file their taxes.”
The Senators also pointed to a hot-button issue among many of their colleagues and the public, the growing federal debt. “The federal government cannot afford to lose even more tax revenue,” they wrote.
Trump tax translations turnaround: As often is the case with the current White House occupant, things are turned on their head. In this specific instance, translations of tax materials grew notably during Trump’s first term.
Former IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, who was appointed by Trump in 2018 to head the federal tax agency, made expanding translations of IRS material a priority.
Rettig touched on the topic during an online conversation in early 2021 with The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center about challenges the IRS was facing agency under COVID-19 pandemic limitations.
During the discussion, Rettig also cited other challenges the agency was facing, including reaching underserved communities.
Rettig said that when he came on board in 2018, the IRS offer tax material in six languages, with English being one of those six. Just more than two years into his term, Rettig noted that the IRS offered 350 translation services to taxpayers.
Rettig’s commitment to getting the tax word out to all also is personal. In public appearances, the 49th IRS Commissioner often mentioned his non-English-speaking in-laws. His wife’s parents came to the United States as refugees after the Vietnam War.
His family’s experience is shared by millions of taxpayers. But many taxpayers, regardless of our native tongues, are not fluent in tax-speak.
“We the IRS, as well as we the U.S. government, need to show we are here for them,” said Rettig.
You also might find these items of interest:
- Tax firm specializes in services for deaf filers
- IRS redesigning tax notices so they’re more intelligible
- IRS seeking bilingual volunteers for VITA, TCE programs
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