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Distribution of major US individual income tax credits on IRS tax form 1040

Summary of the Tax Credits Claimed on the Form 1040, Tax Year 2020

In tax year 2020, taxpayers claimed more than 159 million tax credits on their individual income tax returns worth a total of more than $277 billion. That was an increase of $35.3 billion from tax year 2019, largely due to an influx of pandemic relief administered through the tax code in 2020.

6 min read
IRS budget increase IRS technology modernization and IRS funding for IRS e-filing electronic tax filing

The U.S. Tax Code Is Too Complex for Direct eFile to Work

It is hard to imagine the IRS Direct e-File Program operating seamlessly with the complexity of the current U.S. tax system. Instead, lawmakers should first address the more fundamental problem that causes taxpayer frustration: our highly complicated tax code.

4 min read

Sources of Personal Income, Tax Year 2020

Reviewing reported income helps to understand the composition of the federal government’s revenue base and how Americans earn their taxable income. The individual income tax, the federal government’s largest source of revenue, is largely a tax on labor.

10 min read
IRS funding increase Inflation Reduction Act IRS strategic operating plan includes auditors

IRS Strategic Operating Plan Shows Promise, but Concerns Remain

While the IRS hopes to increase revenue collection and minimize additional burdens on taxpayers, uncertainty remains regarding its ability to deliver, particularly on the latter. Furthermore, some concerns about the original funding package are already surfacing, specifically around insufficient funding for taxpayer services.

6 min read
Will the Federal Government Tax Your State Tax Rebates Inflation Relief Checks

Will the Federal Government Tax Your State Tax Rebate?

If your state issued tax rebates last year, you might have to pay federal income tax on the rebate you received. Maybe. Who knows? Unfortunately, not the IRS—at least not yet.

5 min read
GOP FairTax proposal or Fair Tax Act includes national sales tax and abolishing IRS

Fair Tax FAQ

The FairTax is a proposal to replace all major sources of the federal government’s revenue—the individual income tax, corporate income tax, estate and gift taxes, and payroll tax—with a national sales tax and rebate, abolishing the IRS in the process.

7 min read
Tax filing Tax Season Stone's Throwe Photo

Frustration and Delays as the 2023 Tax Filing Season Begins

A combination of long-standing IRS operational deficiencies, the agency’s temporary closure due to the pandemic, and the now-expired pandemic relief produced a perfect recipe for a paper backlog.

4 min read