[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 9, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               TAX FACTS

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, 6 days from now millions of Americans will be 
scrambling to get their Federal income taxes done. Every year at this 
time we are reminded how much of a burden the American tax payer bears. 
Here are some facts: 10 years ago the IRS said it took the average 
person 9\1/2\ hours to complete a 1040 form. Today it takes 13 hours. 
That is enough time to play four baseball games. This year it will cost 
Americans about $194 billion just to comply with the tax code, enough 
to buy 4.7 million brand-new Cadillacs. The IRS employs over 104,000 
people. That is four times as many people that work for the FBI.
  Mr. Speaker, if there is a lesson to learn from all of this it is 
this: that taxes will keep going up and up if we do not constantly 
fight to keep them down.
  In 1913, the first year of the Federal income tax, the top rate was 7 
percent and that was the rate for millionaires. Today the top rate is 
almost 40 percent.
  The American people need more tax relief, tax reform and IRS reform; 
and I urge my colleagues to make this a priority this year.

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