I would like to get information (statistics) on what percentage of
people who file a tax return knowingly cheat- and if possible to what
degree.

Greetings -
 
Thanks for your question.  I don't know exactly how much information
you're going for, but if you need additional
information/clarification, please ask before rating this answer.
  
A thorough web search has revealed some limited information in this
regard, but I have found a good concentration of it at a site called
nolo.com, run by Nolo, a 30-year-old law organization:
   
"In a national poll, one out of five Americans admitted to cheating
the IRS on their tax returns. The IRS says that 17% of taxpayers don't
fully comply with the tax laws on a regular basis. If you throw in
people who cheat by not filing tax returns, the number is closer to
one in four. Undoubtedly the figure would be higher if wage earners
did not have taxes withheld by their employers and the self-employed
did not have their earnings reported to the IRS on 1099 forms.  In a
recent year, however, only 2,472 Americans were convicted of tax
crimes -- .0022% of all taxpayers. This number is astonishingly small,
taking into account that the IRS estimates that 17% of all taxpayers
are not complying with the tax laws in some way or another."
 
Arguably, cheating by self-employed people approaches 100%. 
  

  
A poll of 500 Americans, 34% actually admitted to cheating on the
taxes.
 
In terms of what degree taxpayers are cheating at, it is a highly
individualized statistic.
 
Additional Links:
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/faqs/detail.cfm/catID/7E3077AD-3EC9-4C89-818260239E41F3D4/objectID/A98309CE-664C-4A97-94D3CB6780B59936#2B08FF4B-ABAE-4781-92B89374B0F1772E
http://www.thirdage.com/money/personal/tax/nolo.fraud.crime.html
 
Search Strategy:
 "cheat on their taxes"
cheat on taxes poll
tax cheating statistics

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Request for Answer Clarification by qpet-ga on 01 Jan 2003 16:08 PST

Thank you for your leads- quite helpful. I set a price of $100 in the
hope of getting more than one source. I'd appriciate a couple of more
leads. Thanxs

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Clarification of Answer by jbf777-ga on 01 Jan 2003 17:52 PST

Hello -
 
Here are some additional sources.  Please let me know if you need any
additional information/clarification.
 
Why Taxes Go Uncollected - NCPA Policy
http://www.ncpa.org/pi/taxes/pdtx9.html
 
Bruce Bartlett - Opinion Editorial (4/16/01)
http://www.ncpa.org:80/oped/bartlett/apr1601.html
 
Let's Roll Out Welcome Mat for IRS Auditors by Eric Zorn (4/13/02)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/showcase/chi-0204130272apr13,0,1914121.column
 
Christian Globe
STATISTICS and STUFF heading
http://www.christianglobe.com/Illustrations/theDetails.asp?whichOne=c&whichFile=cheating
 
Exclusive Poll: Cheaters Win 
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/misc/press/cheating.htm
 
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher

very fast response! Some good  and some very good results!