I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4943 

To require the Internal Revenue Service to include in the Form 1040 instruction booklet information relating to Federal Government revenues, spending, and public debt. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 25, 2010 

Mr. MCCARTHY of California (for himself, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. CAMP, Mr. RYAN

of Wisconsin, and Mr. BRADY of Texas) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To require the Internal Revenue Service to include in the 

Form 1040 instruction booklet information relating to 

Federal Government revenues, spending, and public debt. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Informed Taxpayers’ 

5 Federal Government Annual Reporting Act of 2010’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ANNUAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL IN2 FORMATION INCLUDED IN FORM 1040 IN3 STRUCTIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treasury 

5 shall prepare the report described in subsection (b) for 

6 each fiscal year and include such report in any published 

7 instructions for filling out the return of tax imposed on 

8 individuals by chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

9 1986 for the taxable years beginning during the fiscal year 

10 to which the report relates. 

11 (b) REPORT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The report described in this 

13 subsection shall contain the following: 

14 (A) A division containing the summary de15 scribed in paragraph (2), entitled ‘‘Current 

16 Federal Government Finances’’. 

17 (B) A division containing the summary de18 scribed in paragraph (4), entitled ‘‘Federal 

19 Government Finances & You’’. 

20 (C) A division containing the summary de21 scribed in paragraph (3), entitled ‘‘Projected 

22 Federal Government Finances’’. 

23 (2) CURRENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FI24 NANCES.—The summary described in this paragraph 

25 shall contain the following information: 


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1 (A) For the fiscal year and the preceding 

2 fiscal year— 

3 (i) the total amount of revenues re4 ceived by the Federal Government, 

5 (ii) the total amount of Federal Gov6 ernment outlays, 

7 (iii) the amount of any Federal budg8 et deficit or surplus, and 

9 (iv) the total gross Federal debt. 

10 (B) The amount of any difference between 

11 the Federal budget deficit or surplus for the fis12 cal year and for the preceding fiscal year. 

13 (3) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FINANCES &

14 YOU.—The summary described in this paragraph 

15 shall contain the following information: 

16 (A) The estimated total number of income 

17 tax filers and nonfilers among United States 

18 households. 

19 (B) The estimated total number of filers 

20 who have an income tax liability greater than 

21 zero for the current taxable year. 

22 (C) The amount of the total gross Federal 

23 debt of the United States Government for the 

24 fiscal year per individual described in subpara25 graph (B). 


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1 (D) The difference between the total gross 

2 Federal debt of the United States Government 

3 per individual described in subparagraph (B) 

4 for the fiscal year and for the preceding fiscal 

5 year. 

6 (4) PROJECTED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FI7 NANCES.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The summary de9 scribed in this paragraph shall contain the fol10 lowing information: 

11 (i) An estimate of the amount of reve12 nues to be received by the Federal Govern13 ment, Federal Government outlays, and 

14 Federal budget deficits or surpluses for the 

15 succeeding fiscal year and for each of the 

16 next 10 fiscal years. 

17 (ii) The aggregate of such revenues 

18 and of such outlays, and the net of such 

19 deficits and surpluses, for all such fiscal 

20 years. 

21 (iii) An estimate of the average total 

22 amount of the total gross Federal debt of 

23 the United States Government for the suc24 ceeding fiscal year and each of the next 10 

25 fiscal years. 


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1 (B) BASED ON CBO ESTIMATES.—The 

2 summary described in subparagraph (A) shall 

3 be based on the baseline and estimates supplied 

4 by the Congressional Budget Office, consistent 

5 with Section 257 of the Balance Budget and 

6 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, in7 cluded in the most recent Budget and Economic 

8 Outlook Report or Update or any successor doc9 ument prepared by the Congressional Budget 

10 Office. 

11 (c) OTHER REQUIREMENTS.—The report required 

12 under this section shall be written in a manner calculated 

13 to be understood by the average person and shall be 

14 prominently displayed— 

15 (1) near the beginning of any published instruc16 tions for filling out the return of tax imposed on in17 dividuals by chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code 

18 of 1986, and 

19 (2) on the homepage of the Internal Revenue 

20 Service Web site. 

Æ 


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