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Capitol Hill workers top unpaid tax list

September 9, 2010

This isn't going to help with the anti-incumbent attitude across the county.


Capitol and reflecting pond The Washington Post reports that Capitol Hill employees owed $9.3 million in back taxes
last year. Even worse for the Washington workers, and their bosses, is
that IRS data show tax debt among Hill employees has risen at a faster
rate than the
overall tax debt on the government's books.

The IRS information doesn't get
specific; that is, there are no names and there's no indication of party
affiliation or job title.

So conceivably, some members of Congress could be tax delinquents. Admit it. You tax geeks and political wonks are wondering if former Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is on this latest list.

But, reports the Post,
the info does show that 638 of the 18,000 employees on Capitol Hill, or
about 4 percent of the workforce there, owe money. That percentage is
slightly higher than the 3 percent delinquency rate among all U.S. tax
returns.

So what's the dollar damage?

The average unpaid tax bill of a Senate taxpayers is $12,787. On the House side, the overage overdue tax amount is $15,498.

While this unpaid taxes tidbit is sure to come up on some campaign spots as we head into the midterm election home stretch, federal employee tax delinquencies aren't new.

Now I'm not saying that past tax
non-payments excuse federal employees, especially those who might be
writing our tax laws, from paying what they owe the IRS.

But I am saying that we need to consider the source of any rantings about Capitol Hill tax scofflaws.

Some folks who latch onto this latest
info might not be as upset about the actual unpaid taxes as their
carefully crafted political soundbites might indicate.

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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Comments
  • No Refund
    16 years ago Reply

    In my practice 5% of all people have not filed tax returns in a timely manor. So 4% is pretty good.
    Just eliminate the REFUND$ and collect the taxes IRS. That is your job.

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