A group of 43 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to IRS CEO Frank Bisignano on November 2, 2026, requesting an explanation for delays in publishing tax gap data. The tax gap represents the difference between the total taxes owed by taxpayers and the amount actually paid on time. The lawmakers stated that the agency was scheduled to release estimates for 2023 and 2024 in the fall of 2025 but has not yet done so.
The IRS has published tax gap data since 1979. The most recent available figures, from 2022, show a gross tax gap of $696 billion and a net tax gap of $606 billion after enforcement and late payments. According to the IRS, approximately 74 percent of the 2022 gross gap was attributed to unpaid income taxes, with the remainder coming from corporate, employment, and estate taxes.
In their letter, the lawmakers cited 2022 estimates indicating that taxpayers in the top 10 percent of income were responsible for 64 percent of unpaid individual income taxes. The group, which includes Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), requested that Bisignano provide a publication date for the missing data by November 15.
The inquiry follows a March 4, 2026, House Ways and Means Committee hearing where Bisignano, who also leads the Social Security Administration, testified about the 2026 tax season. During that hearing, Democratic members questioned Bisignano regarding a federal judge's finding that the IRS unlawfully disclosed taxpayer data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more than 42,000 times. Bisignano declined to discuss the specifics of those disclosures, noting they occurred before his tenure began in October 2025.
The specific groups affected by these data reporting decisions include federal legislators who use the figures to draft tax policy and high-income taxpayers whose rate of compliance is a focus of the requested 2023 and 2024 reports. Lawmakers expressed concern that the lack of data coincides with a reduction in the IRS workforce and a 65 percent decrease in investigations into certain tax schemes, which could change how the agency handles future audits and revenue collection.
The current dispute centers on the transparency of the Internal Revenue Service under the new CEO structure established in late 2025. What happens next depends on the IRS response to the November 15 deadline set by the lawmakers. The outcome may influence future congressional funding for IRS enforcement and the methodology used to calculate how much the U.S. government is owed by corporations and individuals.