As taxpayers gathered in celebration of American Independence, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) compiled a
brief fact sheet on the federal government and the economy.
Number of
employees at the IRS in FY 2010: Over 100,000
Current IRS
Budget:$11.4 billion
How many words does the IRS Code
contain? The IRS Code is more than 3.4 million
words
How many
hours did individual taxpayers spend complying with
income tax laws in 2009?Individual taxpayers alone
spent an estimated 3.8 billion hours complying with various tax laws. This is up
from 3.6 billion in 2008.
What is the origin of the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS)?The IRS dates back to President Lincoln when he
created the position of commissioner of the Internal Revenue and enacted an
income tax during the Civil War. The income tax was repealed ten years
later.
When was the U.S. Constitution amended to include the 16th
Amendment?Wyoming ratified the 16th Amendment in
1913 providing the necessary majority of states to amend the Constitution. The
first form 1040 appeared the same year.
When is the Cost of Government
Day (COGD)?In 2001, Americans finished paying off their share of the
total cost of government on July 5th. Due to bailouts, the Stimulus
Package, and President Obama’s budget, Americans will finish paying off their
share of the cost of government somewhere between August 9 and August
19th. To read more about COGD, visit ATR’s Center for Fiscal
Accountability.
How much more has President Obama increased spending over other
Presidents? The 40 year average for federal spending as a percentage of
GDP is 20.7%. Looking at President Obama’s budget, federal spending will account
for 28.7% of GDP this year.
Are there any new taxes in President Obama’s proposed budget?President Obama's Budget contains over $1 trillion in tax increases.
How much would President Obama’s Cap and Trade tax cost Americans? It would cost each American family up to $3,100 in new energy taxes
a year.
How many members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge?
How many U.S. Senators? 172 members of the U.S. House and 34 members of
the U.S. Senate have signed the Pledge never to raise income
taxes.
How many state legislators have signed the Taxpayer Protection
Pledge?There are 1,113 Pledge signers on the state
level.
Hours between releasing final version of “stimulus” bill and its
passage: 16
Hours between releasing final version of “cap-and-trade” bill and its
passage: 17
Number of members of Congress who read the stimulus bill before voting
for it: Zero.
Number of Members of the House who read the “cap-and-trade” bill before
voting for it:Zero.
Have Congressional leaders committed to providing taxpayers with more
time to read the health care reform bill?Not according to Speaker
Pelosi.
