Chuck Grassley: “The tax gap is the difference between what is paid voluntarily in taxes by 85 percent of the American people and what is…”

“The tax gap is the difference between what is paid voluntarily in taxes by 85 percent of the American people and what is actually owed by people who do not pay all of the taxes that are legally owed. The tax gap does not include things that are in the underground economy, nor does it include illegal earnings. The tax gap is certainly not a new issue. We have discussed it on the floor of the Senate many times. It has been an issue for previous administrations as well as this administration. In fact, I suspect the tax gap has been an issue for as long as there has been taxes. However, I would say in recent years the Finance Committee, on which I serve, has certainly brought a new focus to the issue of the tax gap. This has been very much a bipartisan effort.”