Every year millions of Americans file a tax return with the IRS, but how much do we really know about this division of the government that so many fear?
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1. When it was first created, the IRS was known as the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In the 1950’s the name was changed to the Internal Revenue Service.
2. The initial income tax was only 3% tax on individuals making over $800. Today the top tax bracket consists of a 35% tax.
3. The IRS was created by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to help pay for the military expenses.
4. In order for the IRS to print the necessary forms and documents over 300,000 trees are cut down every year.
5. The IRS collected $2.2 trillion in 2006, with $1.2 trillion coming from just federal income taxes.
6. Prior to the introduction of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in 1998, the burden of proof was put entirely on taxpayers, meaning taxpayers had to prove themselves innocent.
7. The IRS sends out an average 8 billion page of paper every tax season. If all the pieces of paper were laid out end-to-end, it would wrap around the earth 28 times.
8. Over 229 million income tax returns were filed with the IRS in 2006.
9. The federal government spends $200 billion per year on federal tax compliance, which is more money than it takes to produce all of the cars in the United States.
10. The IRS employs over 114,000 people. That’s over double as many as the CIA and five times more than the FBI.
11. The United States tax systems is widely known for being confusing and difficult to understand. Therefore, over 60% of taxpayers seek professional help preparing their tax returns.
12. The average family pays over 38% of their total income to the IRS, which is more than the average family spends on food, clothing, and shelter combined.
13. The IRS has a whistleblowers program designed to help catch tax evaders. In 2005 they paid over $27 million to informants that resulted in nearly $350 million in revenue.
14. The federal government spends about $10 billion per year to pay the IRS’s 114,000 employees.
15. Tax Day, the date when tax returns must be filed with the IRS usually lands on April 15th. However, if the 15th is a weekend or holiday, Tax Day is moved to the next business day.
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