Internal Revenue Service - Tax Collection Statistics

Tax Collection Statistics

Summary of Collections before Refunds by Type of Return, Fiscal Year 2010

Type of Return Number of Returns Gross Collections
Individual Income Tax 141,166,805 1,163,688
Employment Taxes 29,787,494 824,188
Corporate Income Tax 2,355,803 277,937
Excise Taxes 836,793 47,190
Estate Tax 28,780 16,931
Gift Tax 286,522 47,190
Total 174,405,682 2,332,754

Summary of Collections before Refunds by Type of Return, Fiscal Year 2007

Type of Return Number of Returns Gross Collections
Individual Income Tax 138,893,908 1,366,241
Employment Taxes 30,740,592 849,733
Corporate Income Tax 2,507,728 395,536
Excise Taxes 989,165 53,050
Estate Tax 55,924 24,558
Gift Tax 286,522 2,420
Total 173,351,839 2,691,538

For fiscal year 2009, the U.S. Congress appropriated spending of approximately $12.624 billion of "discretionary budget authority" to operate the Department of the Treasury, of which $11.522 billion was allocated to the IRS. The projected estimate of the budget for the IRS for fiscal year 2011 was $12.633 billion. By contrast, during Fiscal Year (FY) 2006, the IRS collected more than $2.2 trillion in tax (net of refunds), about 44 percent of which was attributable to the individual income tax. This is partially due to the nature of the individual income tax category, containing taxes collected from working class, small business, self-employed, and capital gains. The top 5% of income earners pay 38.284% of the federal tax collected.

Recently, the IRS has altered its policies. The current Service plus Enforcement equals Compliance motto mirrors its recent increase in investigations of abusive tax schemes.

As of 2007, the agency estimates that the United States Treasury is owed $354 billion more than the amount the IRS collects.

In 2011, 234 million tax returns were filed allowing the IRS to collect $2.4 trillion out of which $384 billion were attributed to mistake or fraud.

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