Tax Refund Data Puts Mnuchin in Hot Seat to Explain GOP Law (1)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin faces an uphill battle convincing Americans that smaller tax refunds don’t necessarily mean they paid more taxes for the whole year.

The number of tax refunds issued so far this year—the first tax filings since the 2017 tax law was enacted—fell nearly 16 percent to 11.4 million, compared with 13.5 million at the same point in the tax filing season last year, according to Treasury data published Feb. 14. Even among those who did get refunds, the average amount dropped to $1,949, compared with $2,135 in 2018.

The data, which reflects the first two weeks of ...