The most current “tax gap” figure is $450 billion — a little too nicely rounded, isn’t it? Seems like a wild guess, right?
Every year Americans collectively owe hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes. But the IRS is successful in collecting only part of that. The “tax gap” is the difference between these two figures. It is the difference between taxes owed and taxes paid without resorting to enforced collections. Of course it is much more than a “gap” these days; it is more like a chasm. Tax gap data is some of the most important data there is for an agency whose primary duty is to figure out who isn’t paying and get them to pay.
As important as this information is, the IRS calculates and reports the tax gap only once every 5 years. The most recent tax gap analysis was completed in January 2012, which provided tax gap data for tax year 2006 ($450 billion). If you see a problem with this delay in information, you’re not the only one. Recently the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) issued an audit report criticizing the IRS’ tax gap analysis procedures.
One of the criticisms was related to the turnaround time on these reports. Granted, tax gap figures are not easy to come by. We’re talking about some very difficult calculations that are based on pretty convoluted data. Indeed, part of the reason why the IRS only does this report every 5 years is because it takes nearly that long to gather and report on the data. However, TIGTA would like to see tax gap reports churned out more regularly. The more current the data, the more likely it is to assist with tax policy and administration.
As you can imagine, there are probably a thousand different versions of the tax gap (a thousand different ways to calculate it). That’s what I mean by “convoluted data.” But, as if it weren’t complicated enough already, TIGTA also recommended that the IRS include separate estimates for revenues lost in the “informal economy” (i.e., drug deals and small cash transactions) and offshore tax evasion. Also, the IRS has been asked to change the way it calculates the corporate tax gap.
So, really it’s the same old story with the IRS: they’re being asked to do more, do it more quickly, and do it with less money. Poor guys.