Tax deadline looms as Americans scramble to file

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Tax Day arrived Tuesday - two days later than normal - but with a lot of people still scrambling to file their taxes.

Millions of people were expected to be filing their returns before the midnight deadline or filing for an extension.

With many people focused on this year's Tax Day, many, including President Trump, are looking forward to next year's filing deadline.

The president has been touting the new GOP-led tax law as a win that will help everyone with a simpler filing process and by giving taxpayers more take-home pay.

"I mean we have heard from so many people. They're so thrilled. And remember this - this is the last time you're going to fill up that long complicated, horrible return," President Trump said during an event in Florida. "Next year, it's going to be a simple, for the most part, one-page -- it may get a little bit bigger -- but it will be simple and easy to do and, very importantly, you're going to have a lot of money left over from what you have."

Opponents of the tax plan, however, are not convinced.

Activists held more than 100 Tax March demonstrations across the country, protesting the changes which they say will only benefit the wealthy and corporations.

"I think it's the same sham that we've been hearing about for years about trickle-down economics. There's actually been also reports that the companies that are getting the tax cuts are not giving that back to the workers," said Debbie King, with Organize Florida, which held an information session.

King and other opponents are pushing for a repeal of the new tax law.

"This is an education push so that we can talk to our neighbors, find out how we're benefiting or hurting and what we're finding out is that folks are hurting," she said.

Ajay Singh, an attorney and certified public accountant with Hunter Business Law, told FOX 13 both sides have valid points.

"In certain regards, it's definitely gotten more complicated," he said. "I do think in some regards it has gotten more simplified  just in the fact that you've eliminated some of the deductions that were a little more complicated to calculate."

Singh said some of the changes will absolutely cut taxes for the majority of Americans but are set up to be phased out over time for lower and middle-income class tax brackets.

He added people need to speak with an expert during the coming year to make sure they know how they're affected by the new law.

"It's really important in 2018 for people to understand what those changes are and the best advice I can give them is to sit down with their tax advisor," he said.