American taxpayers can automatically increase their take-home pay by changing their federal withholding amount, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the public in a special Tax Day message.
The Treasury Secretary gave the tax advice at a White House press briefing Wednesday, saying President Trump’s tax cuts had delivered record returns and refunds.
“…I want to encourage everyone out there watching today to change their withholding if they haven’t already done so, because if you change your withholding then you will get an automatic real wage increase on a weekly or monthly basis and you will be able to keep more of your money this calendar year.”
Bessent’s message urging taxpayers to update their W-4 tax forms caused some confusion, with many questioning whether changing their federal withholdings wouldn’t backfire next tax season.
One overly optimistic X user claimed the Treasury secretary, who served as acting IRS commissioner until March 2026, was “signaling” that big changes were coming soon to the tax system.
Bessent was already spreading the “change your withholding” message last year, predicting the first quarter of 2026 would have record refunds.
President Donald Trump has for years hinted he could eliminate federal income taxes for earners under $200K, and replace the Internal Revenue Service with an External Revenue Service that would collect tariffs and tax foreigners instead of residents.
The Department of Government Efficiency also reduced the IRS federal workforce last year, cutting around 25,000 jobs.
While many are divided over the Iran war fiasco, the elimination of income taxes would certainly be something the American people can rally behind.
