Would you please tell me approximately how many people file a tax
return each year?   And approximately how much tax revenue was taken
in over the past 5 years?

Hi highvoltageblond,

The following is the result of my research for the information you have requested:

"130,728,360 Americans filed individual income tax returns in 2003.
This is an interesting figure when we consider the numbers for
previous years. In 1975, over 117,000,000 individual income tax
returns were filed; in 1980, 90,600,000 individual income tax returns
were filed, a drop in only five years of 26,400,000 individual income
tax returns. This occurred during a five-year period in which there
was a divorce pandemic, tens of millions of young people were entering
the labor force for the first time, and population grew significantly
? which is to say, the number of tax returns should have risen
substantially in that five-year period, not dropped like a rock..."

Plastic: Individual Taxes
http://www.plastic.com/article.html;sid=04/04/13/16020453;mode=nested


"The 2003 tax return filing season refers to the period from January 1
to April 15 when U.S. taxpayers will file more than 175 million tax
returns, including more than 50 million e-filed returns. During this
period the IRS is expected to issue more than 104 million tax refunds,
answer nearly 90 million telephone calls from taxpayers asking for
assistance, and its homepage is projected to receive more than 3
billion hits.
The Administration?s budget requests $10.4 billion to fund the IRS for
fiscal year 2004. This level of funding will support approximately
100,043 employees who will collect about
$1.74 trillion in taxes (net of refunds), according to Administration estimates."

Ways and Means
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=printfriendly&id=233


"The IRS employs 100,000 people. Each year, the agency processes more
than 200 million tax returns and collects more than $1.7 trillion
dollars..."

FCW: IRS pushes e-filing hard
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0405/web-tax-04-08-04.asp


"Each year, the IRS processes over 200 million tax returns and
collects over $2 trillion. The IRS also issues nearly 100 million tax
refunds, provides service to millions of taxpayers in person and via
telephone calls and the internet, and applies complex tax laws to help
ensure taxpayers meet their tax obligations."

United States Senate
http://appropriations.senate.gov/hearmarkups/record.cfm?id=220275


See also: 
Number of Individual Income Tax Returns Filed Electronically and
Accepted, by State, Fiscal Year 2003.  2003 IRS Data Book.  Excel ver.
4.  March 2004.

Number of Returns Filed, by Type of Return and State, Fiscal Year
2003.  2003 IRS Data Book.  Excel ver. 4.  March 2004.

IRS: Individual Tax Statistics - Number of Returns
http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=97230,00.html


For the total tax revenue that was taken in over the past 5 years see
this excellent chart for the years1973-2003, published by the IRS:

Internal Revenue Gross Collections, by Type of Tax, Fiscal Years
1973-2003.  2003 IRS Data Book.  Excel ver. 4.  March 2004.

http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=97168,00.html


Search criteria:

"* million people" file a tax return each year
"125..200 million" file "tax returns" each year
"125..200 million people" file tax return each year
"125..200 million americans OR individuals" file "tax returns" each year


I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions regarding my answer
please don?t hesitate to ask before rating.

Best regards,
Rainbow

---

Request for Answer Clarification by highvoltageblond-ga on 01 Mar 2005 12:51 PST

Thank you for the great research and all the additional data. 
However, you provided far more than I need.

If you would be so kind as to break out JUST THE SPECIFICS:

1) The number of people who filed tax returns in the past 5 years

2) The amount of tax revenues generated in those 5 years

3) The dollar amount (even if just approximate) of tax refunds (in
totality) for those same 5 years

I am not interested in the number of employees, the size of the tax
dept., etc., just in the above specifics.... even if they are just
documented estimates.

THANK YOU!

---

Clarification of Answer by rainbow-ga on 01 Mar 2005 14:37 PST

Hi highvoltageblond,

1) The number of individual tax returns filed in the past 5
years.(2004 data is not yet available)

1999 - 125,389,700  
2000 - 127,657,400  	
2001 - 130,094,300  	
2002 - 130,977,500  	
2003 - 130,836,700  
TOTAL - 644,955,600

	
2) The amount of individual income tax revenues generated in those 5
years. (Gross collections)

1999 - 1,002,185,765   
2000 - 1,137,077,702   
2001 - 1,178,209,880   
2002 - 1,037,733,908   
2003 - 987,208,878   
TOTAL - 5,342,416,133
(Money amounts are in thousands of dollars) 


3) The dollar amount of individual income tax refunds for those same 5 years.

1999 - 146,951,969     
2000 - 158,726,496    
2001 - 206,736,440    
2002 - 210,159,025    
2003 - 229,809,243    
TOTAL - 952,383,173
(Money amounts are in thousands of dollars) 


Source: IRS - Individual Tax Statistics 
http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/indtaxstats/index.html


I hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Rainbow

Thank you very much for the rating and tip.
Best regards,
Rainbow~