The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has delayed the release of detailed data showing the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a signature tax law passed under the Trump administration. The agency, whose day-to-day leader is Frank Bisignano, was scheduled to publish the figures in July and provide an update in September, but the reports are currently listed on the IRS website as "pending." The IRS said it is waiting for the Treasury Department to approve the publication of the data.
This delay occurs shortly before midterm elections, as Republican candidates and the White House promote the legislation's effects. Typically, the IRS releases granular data following each filing season to document tax breaks claimed across different income brackets. While the agency released weekly top-line statistics earlier this year, the more detailed reports covering the uptake of specific provisions—such as new deductions for tips and overtime wages—remain unpublished.
Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, told Politico she believes the administration is "hiding stuff" that may not align with official claims about the law. Conversely, a Treasury official, speaking anonymously, said the priority is ensuring "accurate and reliable data" following significant changes to the tax code. Barry Johnson, a former IRS official, noted that delays could be caused by factors like filing extensions, but observed that by law, the IRS is supposed to determine its own release schedule without Treasury interference.
The scale of the missing data is significant, as the mid-July report typically accounts for 95% of all taxpayers, 87% of reported income, and 82% of all taxes paid. The ITEP analysis found the typical American in every income group is paying more when accounting for rising household costs, while the richest 1 percent is the only group that comes out ahead. Furthermore, the IRS has not released "tax gap" estimates for 2023, which measure uncollected taxes. The last available projection from 2022 estimated $700 billion in unpaid taxes.
The lack of current data coincides with a 27 percent reduction in IRS enforcement and collection staffing, a move directed by the Department of Government Efficiency. The Treasury Department’s inspector general reported that revenue from audits fell by more than one-third over the last fiscal year. It is not currently known when the Treasury Department will authorize the release of the pending data. The next major deadline for taxpayers who requested extensions is October 15, which will complete the data set for the current year.