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WASHINGTON (AP) —
As Tax Day arrives this Wednesday, marking the deadline for most Americans to submit their tax returns, the Trump administration reports that millions have already taken advantage of new tax breaks. These include exemptions such as no tax on tips and overtime pay, exclusions for interest on specific car loans, deductions for seniors, and special Trump Accounts designed for children’s savings.
According to a Treasury official, more than 53 million taxpayers utilized one of these provisions from the sweeping Republican tax and spending legislation. Specifically, 6 million individuals benefited from the tip tax exemption, 21 million claimed the overtime deduction, and 30 million seniors took advantage of the enhanced deduction. The official shared these insights with reporters on Tuesday, ahead of the filing deadline, while preferring to remain anonymous.
From the administration’s viewpoint, the 2026 tax filing season has been a triumph. However, despite the implementation of the Republican tax law intended to deliver substantial savings, recent polls reveal that a majority of Americans—approximately 70%—still feel their tax burden is excessive.
Still, the latest data comes as most Americans, or 7 in 10, still think their taxes are too high, according to recent polling, despite the passage of the Republican tax law which promised big savings for taxpayers.
As the tax season kicked off in January, the White House boasted that average returns were projected to rise by at least $1,000. But currently, the average refund amount is $3,462, according to the latest IRS data, which is up 11% or about $350 from last tax year’s $3,116 average refund payment.
Treasury has shifted its messaging to tout that tax refunds this season are up 24% compared with the four-year average of refunds before President Donald Trump took office.
The White House has been trying to promote Trump’s tax cuts as a way to get voters more enthusiastic about the way he’s handling the economy ahead of November’s midterm elections, but the message has been overshadowed for weeks by higher gas prices caused by the war in Iran.
The 2026 season comes as the IRS has gone through a leadership turnover and reduced its workforce by 27% over the past year through cuts brought on by the Department of Government Efficiency.
IRS CEO Frank Bisignano is set to testify in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.
In his public testimony to lawmakers, Bisignano planned to tout the IRS’ implementation of the Republican tax law.
However, Democratic lawmakers zeroed in on IRS disclosures of confidential taxpayer information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of an agreement between ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to share information for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S.